Meanwhile the leading player in Asia, Wego, has gone through a metamorphosis of late. I managed to catch up with its ex-CEO, now non-executive chairman Martin Symes in Dubai during Arabian Travel Market.
“Larry Page”-like Ross Veitch has now re-assumed the top slot. With a new investor on board (Tiger) and a new office in Jakarta opening, the company seems to be going through a growth phase but with a twist. It is taking its brand of local metasearch out for a global spin.
What’s so special about the “new Wego”? It has taken a page out of the Skyscanner playbook and is targeting new country markets by offering local content in a new setting.
With many new languages now on offer, Wego is bringing the fight back to the Scottish contingent. Coincidently, Skyscanner put down a footprint in Singapore at the end of 2011.
Wego is putting in some significant work in the areas of social media and mobile. While its existing development team will stay in Singapore, Wego will move its social and mobile development to its new address in Jakarta in the very near future.
By Timothy O’Neil-Dunne
Read more: http://www.tnooz.com/2012/05/04/news/local-is-the-new-black-in-travel-search/