Trailblazer Yeoh Siew Hoon, the Founder and Editor of Web-in-Travel (WiT), found her niche by combining travel and technology, growing her passion alongside a flourishing community of tech-savvy travel enthusiasts.

TRAVEL HARDLY COMES to mind when we talk about innovation, yet that is precisely what Yeoh Siew Hoon has accomplished over the past two decades. At a time when Malaysia was just beginning to embrace digital connectivity, Siew Hoon envisioned crafting intimate travel experiences by harnessing the web, scaling her influence by leaps and bounds. With decades of experience in travel journalism across the Asia Pacific, and a passion for discovering new places and opportunities, forging her own path was just a natural progression. At the core of her journey is a journalist whose love for travel drives her every endeavour.

Starting WiT

The concept of online travel bookings has its roots circa 1996, when companies such as Expedia and Booking.com were founded, but the 9/11 incident in 2001 was what gave it the final push.

“Disruption often leads to innovation,” Siew Hoon says.

“When WiT started in 2005, it was a platform to share how technology was changing customer behaviours, and how the travel industry needed to adapt and cater to these new travellers whose behaviours were influenced by technology.” She adds that, at the time, only big players in the travel industry were taking advantage of the rapid changes that were happening.

Launched in Singapore in 2005, WiT swiftly expanded its footprint across the Asia Pacific, reaching major cities like Tokyo and Seoul, and extending into the Middle East and Europe—an achievement driven by unwavering passion and commitment.

In 2014, WiT’s acquisition by Northstar Travel Media marked a new era, with the company now operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Northstar Travel Group, enabling expansive global growth and serving diverse segments of the travel industry. Building on this momentum, Siew Hoon spearheaded the launch of Travel Weekly Asia and M&C Asia, further cementing Northstar’s strategic entry into the Asian market.

“Back when I was working in print and writing about travel, I saw how people’s habits were changing—more and more readers were turning to the web for information. And I thought to myself that sooner or later, the Internet was going to change the travel industry too.

“I’ve always believed that the best way to learn is to do. And I wanted to learn how this new space was going to evolve, so I decided to start WiT. The Internet has made it easy for entrepreneurs—anyone really— to find their own tribe. Honestly, starting WiT was not a lightbulb moment; it was a slow, organic process.”

Success Story

WiT runs competitions for travel startups in several countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea. In 2014, Klook, now a major marketplace in tours and activities, won the competition in Tokyo a year after its founding in Hong Kong.

This year, Klook is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

The platform, which started with offering tours and activities, has since expanded to cover hotels, car rentals and other ancillary services such as insurance and SIM cards for travellers. Recently, it has also ventured into event tourism, becoming the official experience partner for Taylor Swift’s concerts in Singapore.

“Our role is to spark ideas, facilitate connections and build networks to help startups such as Klook build industry partnerships to scale their business. Together, we grow the industry.

“Most indie travel providers build things out of passion and put new niche ideas to work. It’s all about connecting what you love to sustainable business models,” she notes.

WiT Indie Penang

Having just concluded WiT’s fifth edition of the WiT Indie Conference at Penang Institute in July, Siew Hoon expects to continue with the sixth edition at the same location next year.

“WiT Indie or WiT 2.0 is an offshoot of WiT,” she explains. “With WiT, we witnessed the dawn of online travel and saw how major companies came to dominate the space. It is important that smaller travel players find their place in this competitive landscape because this enriches the travel ecosystem—and that’s good for travellers who are increasingly looking for local, hidden gems.

“WiT Indie is about uncovering these local, hidden gems and helping them use technology to run their businesses in a better way, without losing their sense of purpose and passion.”

Siew Hoon, who hails from Penang, has always felt connected to her hometown despite being now based in another country.

“I have seen tourism in Penang evolve. Since I was a young kid, looking at foreigners in buses and trishaws, I wondered what they found so interesting about this place. In many ways, I felt like tourism just happened to Penang, without much say from locals like us.

“Yet, we all travel for local experiences and to connect with local people. Much of Penang’s charms are in the small businesses, hidden gems and local neighbourhoods, and we ought to find ways to connect these small, hidden gems to travellers in a meaningful, deliberate way.

“That’s why I thought it would be good to have a platform to empower small businesses. Technology democratises their ability to attract the kind of customers they want,” she says. Furthermore, with social media and the Internet, anyone—especially small stakeholders—can build a customer support base.

“The key is collaboration and partnerships. Work with anyone and everyone who can help you expand your outreach and spark your thinking with new ideas. After all, if you love what you do, you want to share that love with as many people as you can.”

Her wish is for WiT Indie to grow into a bigger, regional event with Penang as the hub, attracting indie travel businesses from across Asia.

This year, it attracted delegates from markets in Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. “Of course, it needs the local Penang industry support to anchor the event here, and we are grateful to Penang Insitute for hosting our event the past five years.” This year’s two-day WiT Indie event featured specially curated exclusive tours organised by My Indie World, led by Penang-born Henry Beh. Highlights included visits to the Yeoh Jetty in Weld Quay, where an audio recording shared Siew Hoon’s personal story as the daughter of a first-generation immigrant to Malaya; a tour of Green Acre durian farm in Balik Pulau, owned by Eric and Kim Chong; and a private viewing of the Fish Bowl Room at China House.

WiT AND THE WITTIER SIDE OF SIEW HOON

WiT will be held from 14 to 16 October in Singapore. During the pandemic, WiT Singapore 2020 was the first travel conference to go fully hybrid, setting a precedent for a new model in event organisation.

Siew Hoon’s contributions have garnered acclaim from various esteemed institutions, including the Singapore Tourism Board, which honoured her as Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. The WiT Singapore conference, a cornerstone event with which she is associated, has also received several accolades, including Most Innovative Marketing Initiative and Trade Conference of the Year.

“It’s a fast-changing world, especially now with the advent of Generative AI, whose full implications we have yet to fully comprehend. You just have to stay nimble and agile, and dare to do.”

Siew Hoon’s love for writing extends beyond writing about travel. She is the author of several books, including Around Asia in One Hour: Tales of Condoms, Chillies & Curries, children’s titles such as Adventures of Habibie The Turtle and The Story of Baitong and Boon; she also hosts the “A Life in Travel” podcast.

When asked about her favourite pastime, she answers without skipping a beat: “Walking on the beach with my furkids—two goldies, Bowie and Florence.”