Ep 123: Two Years of Travel Disruption, Part 4 - Pandemic Travel Experiments That Failed

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

22 Feb 2022 • 30m54s

Who remembers the “one billion visitors by 2024” prediction? How about GeNose testing, the Special Tourist Visa and the Hong Kong-Singapore Air Travel Bubble?

It’s been a long two years of the pandemic, and various attempts have been made to revive travel in South East Asia. In Part 4 of the Two Years of Travel Disruption series, Gary & Hannah rewind through 2020 and 2021 to pick out the travel proposals, initiatives and experiments that didn’t get off the ground - or, if they did, faded from view.

En route, we recall Singapore’s “contract signing speed dating” project, a spurned sandbox in Cambodia and the absence of promised airline support in Thailand.

Plus, what happened to the Malaysia-Indonesia VTL, why did Indonesia backtrack on banning backpackers, and will there ever be an ASEAN Travel Corridor - or at least mutual recognition of vaccine certificates between the 10 member countries?

« Next Episode Ep 124: Two Years of Travel Disruption, Part 5 - Australia Reopens & Targets ASEAN, with Brent Anderson Previous Episode » Ep 122: Two Years of Travel Disruption, Part 3: A New Era Beckons in Singapore, with Karen Yue

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

17 Apr 2025 • 45m08s

Ep 249: Destinations on Screen: The Top 8 TV + Movie Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia & Asia Pacific

What connects CNN, Coldplay, Bollywood, The White Lotus, Bluey, Minecraft and K-dramas? All are linked to the burgeoning trend of representing tourism destinations in TV series, movies, videos, documentaries and computer games. This week, Gary and Hannah assess the top 8 TV and Movie Tourism talking points in ASEAN, Asia Pacific and beyond. The global journey takes us from Jakarta, Koh Samui and Singapore to Seoul, Jeju Island and Okinawa - and beyond to the UK, New Zealand and Australia.

Play

11 Apr 2025 • 27m39s

Ep 248: China, South East Asia & Asia Pacific Confront the Turmoil of Trump's Tariffs - Part 2

“ASEAN, being the fifth largest economy in the world, is deeply concerned over the recent introduction of unilateral tariffs by the US, including the tariffs announced on 2 April and subsequently the suspension on 9 April… [These] will impact economic security and stability, affect livelihoods of millions of people in the region, and hinder economic progress in ASEAN, particularly less developed economies.” It’s unusual for ASEAN to word its statements so strongly.

Ep 123: Two Years of Travel Disruption, Part 4 - Pandemic Travel Experiments That Failed

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 249: Destinations on Screen: The Top 8 TV + Movie Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia & Asia Pacific

Ep 248: China, South East Asia & Asia Pacific Confront the Turmoil of Trump's Tariffs - Part 2

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman