Ep 180: SuperApps Scale Up to Sell More South East Asian Travel, with Brett Henry, MG Group

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27 Jun 2023 • 37m29s

What is a SuperApp, and why should the travel industry care about them?

There are numerous reasons to care, as Gary and Hannah discuss this week with Jakarta-based Brett Henry, President & Director of MG Group. Brett guides us through a research-based definition of SuperApp characteristics, and explains the opportunities and challenges they provide for brands and travellers.

En route, we discuss a bunch of SuperApps in ASEAN, including GoTo, Grab, WeChat, Meituan and Shopee. We also touch on AirAsia’s SuperApp progress and ask “Is TikTok the next SuperApp in South East Asia?” (Spoiler alert: Absolutely). Plus, we discuss the hyper-localisation in each market to meet changing consumer needs, the region’s complex e-payments landscape and the economics of distributing travel through SuperApps.

And, where do home-grown SuperApps go in future? Will they develop their own travel inventories and further monetise their tourism presence? And is there an accelerating urgency for travel sellers to become engaged participants in SupeApp platforms?

« Next Episode Ep 181: The Top 10 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in the First Half of 2023 Previous Episode » Ep 179: The Shifting Outlook for Airports in South East Asia, with Shantanu Gangakhedkar, Frost & Sullivan

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5 Sep 2023 • 35m25s

Ep 187: Behind the Scenes of Australia’s Tourism Transformation Plan, with Samantha Palmer, AusTrade

Australia counts one of Asia Pacific’s most fascinating visitor economies. It combines vibrant inbound, outbound and domestic leisure and business travel segments with large international education, VFR and working holiday components. One in 7 businesses in Australia is related to tourism. So, how is Australia recovering from Covid-19, and how is it planning ahead for the rest of the decade, and beyond? This week, Gary and Hannah welcome Samantha Palmer, General Manager of Visitor Economy and Client Programs, at the Australian Trade & Investment Commission (AusTrade), to discuss the Thrive 2030 tourism strategy.

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28 Aug 2023 • 32m12s

Ep 186: The Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in August 2023

From 4.4 million to 15.4 million. Thailand is way out in front in South East Asia for year-to-date visitors in 2023 vs 2022. Two-thirds through 2023, Gary and Hannah look back to compare the progress for visitor arrivals in 7 ASEAN nations. We also discuss 8 other key talking points from August, as the summer holiday season subsides and the region prepares for the Chinese Golden Week in October. En route, we discuss new developments in ASEAN’s cross-border payments programme, and assess the outlook in Thailand as a new Prime Minister vows to prioritise tourism.

Ep 180: SuperApps Scale Up to Sell More South East Asian Travel, with Brett Henry, MG Group

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 187: Behind the Scenes of Australia’s Tourism Transformation Plan, with Samantha Palmer, AusTrade

Ep 186: The Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in August 2023

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman