The South East Asia Travel Show

This week, Gary and Hannah look back on the 4 months that savaged the entire travel chain. With some countries starting to phase out lockdown restrictions, attention is turning to where tourism goes next. Domestic travel and regional pacts will be the first steps, but mighty challenges exist for international travel. We assess the critical issues ahead for travel brands and travellers themselves, and discuss the devastating impact on small communities in South East Asia that rely upon the tourism economy.

COVID-19 has raised crucial questions about the future of cruising worldwide. In this week's pod, Gary and Hannah discuss the challenges ahead for cruise lines, port operators and passengers in South East Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Cruise travel in Asia Pacific has expanded rapidly in recent years, but with widespread lockdowns, travel bans and fears about onboard health and safety, can cruising redefine itself for the post-pandemic tourism landscape?

Seeking to escape the travel gloom, Gary and Hannah search for signs of hope. This week, they assess destinations that could lead a recovery in domestic and inbound travel. While varied challenges abound, they sift through the results of their online survey from last week. Destinations discussed in this episode include Australia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. Listeners can also sign up to the FREE Mini Briefing weekly email at www.theseasiatravelshow.com

If you listen to one travel podcast this week, this is it. Gary interviews revered Bali-based publisher and inveterate traveller Stuart McDonald, who is on electrifying form. The diverse discussion veers from COVID-19 and health tracking for air passengers to over-development in SEA and a vicarious daily service for couch travellers. We also touch on small communities in South East Asia being hit by travel lockdowns, and indelible memories of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka. Compelling stuff.

This week, Gary interviews Nikki Scott – a backpacker, business owner and publisher of the South East Asia Backpacker magazine and online portal. An experienced traveller, Nikki founded the magazine in 2008 from her base in Bangkok before taking the business online. In this week's pod, she discusses her travel inspirations, favourite destinations and provides fascinating insights into how backpacking is evolving as technology and places change, and more Asian backpackers seek new adventures.

Posting on Instagram and WeChat has transformed travel in South East Asia. In this edition, Gary and Hannah analyse the origins of 'selfie tourism', and how travel brands are using it to their advantage. En route, they namecheck several photogenic locations, from rooftop Bangkok bars, overnight trains in Myanmar and side alleys in Penang to the temples of Angkor Wat, mirrored backdrops in Bali and romantic shots at Marina Bay. [Apologies for the slightly reduced sound quality on this edition.]

This week, Gary and Hannah are in different locations in the Malaysian capital as the Movement Control Order locks down daily life. Our 10th podcast discusses how the lockdown came about, and the impact so far on travel and tourism as well as ordinary living. With Malaysia having the fifth-highest COVID-19 infection rate in Asia, concerns abound that the two-week lockdown will be extended - and made stricter. How much more havoc will the coronavirus wreak throughout South East Asia?

With confirmed Coronavirus cases in more than 100 countries, Gary and Hannah ask "When can a tourism recovery realistically begin?" Encouraging consumers to start travelling again is a monumental task, but does the current stasis offer a chance to pause and rethink the entire travel sector? In this episode, we discuss a wish list of 8 issues that the travel and tourism industry could iron out before the coronavirus is (eventually) contained.