Five trends from travel startups that will redefine the tourism industry

Asians are getting wealthier, and the Asian tourism sector is one of the fastest growing in the world. At the same time, they’re also getting more Internet saavy, and while infrastructure in developing countries are lacking, that has not stopped them from accessing the Internet in droves through their mobile phones.

These two trends present tantalizing opportunities for startups who want to reach out to a new generation of young Asian travelers with increasingly sophisticated tastes. And indeed, many startups in Singapore and Asia are starting to do so.

Here, we survey some of the interesting travel startups in Singapore, and tease out some trends that may very well represent the future of Asia’s booming tourism industry.

Photo: The Golden Stupa in Laos. Asia is becoming a popular tourism destination as well as a source of affluent tourists. By Rolling Okie
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Budget Travel From Singapore Made Search Friendly By FlightLover

If you want an easy way to check out the best (i.e. cheapest) plane tickets out of Singapore, FlightLover (iTunes) is for you. Built by Handstand Apps’ Dominic Ee, Ang Junhan, and Sam Kuan – also the co-founders of local maps provider GoThere.sg, FlightLover Singapore was released on the 4th of May on the iTunes app store and within two days, was ranked top three in the Paid Apps list on the Singapore store.

Targeted at travellers with a flexible schedule, instead of asking “Where and when do you want to travel?”, FlightLover asks, “Where and for how long do you wish to travel?” FlightLover then does its magic and finds the cheapest tickets over a 3-month period. Read more