The South East Asia Travel Show

Active travel was expanding fast in South East Asia before the pandemic, and expectations are that it will take off once again post-COVID. Cycling and trail running in spectacular landscapes are likely to lead the pack. This week, Gary and Hannah assess the growth in domestic and international sports tourism with David Lloyd, Director of Sports, Topas Travel, an adventure travel provider, and Co-Founder of Velo Vietnam, a cycling tours specialist. After a decade of developing and managing mountain running and cycling events and trips across Vietnam, David provides fascinating insights about the upward trajectory of active sports in Asia. He also discusses issues of sustainability, giving back to local communities and supporting kids’ charities, as well as the future opportunities for high-quality sports tourism in Vietnam.

Marking one year since Gary and Hannah experienced lockdown for the first time in Malaysia, we've produced a new trailer updating you on how the weekly podcast has developed. During the past 12 months, we've expanded from discussing the latest travel industry developments in South East Asia and beyond. We've hosted a range of debates and discussions and interviewed thought leaders and interesting people from across the travel sphere. Find out more in our 60-second update!
 

This week, Gary and Hannah both gave presentations at the 8th ASEAN Tourism Research Association Annual Forum. This is a recording of Gary's presentation, entitled: Tourism in Transformation: Tapping Into Post-COVID Consumer Aspirations & Expectations. Bringing insights from the past year working with hotel groups, consumer research firms and marketing agencies, Gary analyses how Asian consumers are rethinking the meaning and purpose of travel. He also measures their possible motivations for taking trips when borders reopen. Plus, innovations in livestream travel marketing to solar wearables, and the emergence of earth-friendly amenities to a desire to escape to nature. Travellers may also step up their celebrations of 'life landmarks' and their appetites for culinary travel. And, of course, no-one travels without an online audience any more, so how has social media integration become more sophisticated? The slides for this presentation are available on The South East Asia Travel Show's website, www.theseasiatravelshow.com

This week, Gary and Hannah both gave presentations at the 8th ASEAN Tourism Research Association Annual Forum. This is a recording of Hannah's presentation, entitled: ASEAN Tourism: Where Do We Stand Now, and How Might Countries Reopen? It analyses some of the models for reopening international borders being proposed by certain countries in South East Asia – notably Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia. Hannah also discusses the various challenges and opportunities that each country faces in revitalising its tourism sector. The slides accompanying both presentations will be posted on The South East Asia Travel Show's website: www.theseasiatravelshow.com

11 March 2021 marks one year since the WHO declared a pandemic. So, what have we learned in South East Asia, and how can those lessons be best applied? From a current standpoint, two things are clear: 1) international travel and tourism are in a desperate state, and 2) the travel industry hasn’t been able to find the solutions required to escape from the darkness. This week, Gary and Hannah discuss 10 vital learnings from the past year, and how these discoveries can be used to drive a recovery. We found out that Travel Bubbles didn't work in 2020, so are they now a dead concept? What will be the future relationship between vaccines, PCR testing and quarantines? Will tourism authorities invest in domestic travel once borders reopen? Did governments finally learn to differentiate between travel and tourism? What role will China and India play in revitalising regional tourism? And, once the pandemic subsides, will the travel industry take the climate crisis seriously? All this and much, much more...

How will tourism research and graduate education adapt and diversify post-COVID? This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the outlook for travel and tourism across South East Asia from an academic perspective with Prof. Joseph Cheer of the Center for Tourism Research at Wakayama University in Japan, and Dr. Mary Mostafanezhad, Associate Professor at University of Hawaii at Manoa. The broad-ranging interview discusses how travel may look in the early recovery phases, the challenges of educating a new generation of tourism professionals in uncertain economic times and whether the travel and hospitality sectors will continue to engage with universities in future. We also discuss the expected Chinese outbound and ASEAN intra-regional travel rebounds, low-cost carriers, short- and long-haul flying and travel bubbles. Plus, voluntourism, environmental sustainability and resort over-development, plastic trash and air pollution. It’s a fascinating chat.

How will governments use COVID-19 vaccine programmes to revitalise travel and tourism? This week, Gary and Hannah debate the latest tourism reopening proposals in South East Asia and beyond. These include moves to welcome vaccinated travellers in Thailand, Bali’s ‘COVID-free Corridor’, and the likely reboot of the Singapore-Hong Kong Air Travel Bubble. We also discuss a proposed ‘Calibrated’ reopening in India, the ‘Bio Bubble’ tourism initiative in Sri Lanka and ‘Vaccine-to-Go’ travel in Cuba – and their relevance to South East Asian markets. Plus, Costa Rica revives ‘Visa-Free Access’ for Chinese travellers, ‘Vaccinated students’ from China and ‘One-Way Travel Bubbles’ in New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands. Can vaccines be successfully used to unblock pathways to a travel recovery? And what will travel look like – is it going to be both ‘Safe & Secure’ and ‘Controlled & Restricted’? 

It’s 7 months since the Maldives reopened for visitors in July 2020. The Indian island archipelago nation is being considered as a successful case study for COVID-era tourism – but how has it adapted to a changed world, and what lessons has it learned? This week, Gary and Hannah chat with Ruth Franklin, Co-founder of Secret Paradise Maldives, which focuses on local island experiences beyond the luxury resorts. In a candid and insightful interview, Ruth discusses the pre-COVID opportunities and the processes and protocols implemented to reopen for inbound travel. We discuss the future of sustainable tourism, tailor-made island experiences and guest house stays, plus the growing appeal of long-vacation travel. We also talk about the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the potential for vaccine tourism – and what needs to happen for the Maldives to achieve its goal of attracting 1.5 million visitors in 2021.