Ep 155: South East Asia Starts to Reopen for Travel - One Year On!

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5 Nov 2022 • 31m53s

Test & Go. Vaccinated Travel Lanes. ‘The Most Open Country in South East Asia.’ One year ago, on 1 November 2021, Thailand introduced the Test & Go tourism entry policy. In the same month, Singapore accelerated its Vaccinated Travel Lanes and Cambodia made travel easier for visitors than anywhere else.

This week, Gary and Hannah rewind to November 2021 – the month that reignited travel in South East Asia after 20 months of lockdowns and labyrinthine travel restrictions. Thailand and Singapore claimed the headlines, although their reopening strategies contrasted notably. Cambodia made the fullest reopening move, but garnered less media attention.

Elsewhere, Malaysia and Vietnam launched Sandbox-style schemes on the islands and Langkawi and Phu Quoc.

Twelve months on, how should we reflect on those progressive, yet imperfect, government-driven efforts to reboot travel and tourism?

And how has the language of travel changed in the interim?

« Next Episode Ep 156: This Week’s 8 Top Travel Talking Points in South East Asia Previous Episode » Ep 154: South East Asia Prepares for an Uplifting Holiday Season

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11 Jul 2024 • 29m52s

Ep 221: Reflections on the 1st UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia Pacific in Cebu, the Philippines

The symbiosis of food and tourism is not a new topic, but the contexts are changing. Across ASEAN and Asia Pacific, fast-moving trends in food tourism are driven by social media videos and tasting tests and a raft of culinary awards, guides, ratings and reviews. Beyond changing traveller appetites, vital issues - such as climate impact, resource allocation, automated farming techniques, and fair pricing for food producers - are gaining urgency.

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4 Jul 2024 • 30m12s

Ep 220: Bangkok-Vientiane by Train, KL-Nairobi by Plane & Gastronomy Tourism in Cebu: June 2024 in Review

So, we’ve passed a significant threshold. The first half of 2024 is completed – and an unseemly scramble will now occur to try and match – or get very close to – 2019 travel metrics across the region. In this context of competition, it’s time to round up the top 8 travel talking points from June – and what an action-packed month it proved to be. This week, Gary and Hannah travel around ASEAN, with stopovers in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar, plus China and – better believe it – Kenya.

Ep 155: South East Asia Starts to Reopen for Travel - One Year On!

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 221: Reflections on the 1st UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia Pacific in Cebu, the Philippines

Ep 220: Bangkok-Vientiane by Train, KL-Nairobi by Plane & Gastronomy Tourism in Cebu: June 2024 in Review

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman