Ep 124: Two Years of Travel Disruption, Part 5 - Australia Reopens & Targets ASEAN, with Brent Anderson

For much of the pandemic, ‘Fortress Australia’ isolated itself from the world. Now, after a rapid vaccine rollout, its borders are open. Tourism Australia is prioritising key South East Asian markets and airlines to help drive its recovery. So, this week, Gary and Hannah chat all things travel and tourism Down Under with Brent Anderson, Regional General Manager South & South East Asia, of Tourism Australia.

From his Singapore base, Brent explains how Australia developed its marketing campaigns to find opportunities as this new era of travel commences, and the importance of entertaining digital engagement.

Rebuilding airline connectivity and capacity will be a challenge, and mass travel will take time to recover - but Tourism Australia has clearly set out its priority markets and segments.

Brent explains why Western Australia’s reopening on 3 March is vital for the South East Asian VFR market, and hopes for an upswing of self-drive “pick your own adventure” trips.

Plus, which are Australia’s “Rising Star” inbound markets, and how will it cope with the absence of Chinese visitors?

And when and where will Australian outbound travellers be heading this year?