The Current State of Travel in South East Asia and Beyond

With the COVID-19 pandemic now in its 14th month, what have we learned and how will those lessons be – or not be – applied in future? This week, Gary and Hannah take on some of the ‘big picture’ talking points in travel and tourism in ASEAN. The show asks, and tries to answer, 7 critical questions: 1) What do travel and tourism mean today, and do we have a different outlook than before the pandemic? 2) What have been the biggest changes for the travel industry - which will be temporary, and will any be permanent? 3) What has been the most overlooked development so far? 4) What have we learned in the first 4 months of 2021, and is the current outlook different than expected at the end of 2020? 5) Are travel bubbles relevant any more now that we have vaccines? 6) Realistically, what are the expectations for travel and tourism in South East Asia in 2021 - and will there be a noticeable ‘turning point’? 7) Looking further ahead, what are the reasons to be optimistic, and what are the pessimistic factors?