Ep 35: Is it Vaccine or Bust for Tourism Reopening in South East Asia?
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
PodbeanAbout This Episode
10 Sep 2020 • 36m00s“This virus is just beating us all, isn’t it?” Gary and Hannah fend off feelings of despair on this week’s pod, and tackle different approaches for rebooting travel.
From Iceland to Bali, Phuket to Maldives, China to New Zealand, we assess what measures have been tried, which are being ruled out, and those that still hold out faint hopes for the near future.
En route, we seek to trademark the phrase “Vaccine Bubble,” and canvas ideas from travel industry figures in Asia and worldwide on taking those all-important next steps to revive tourism.
But with Asian leaders proceeding with extreme caution, and no-one wanting to be the first to fail, are some countries simply waiting it out in anticipation of a vaccine being available in early 2021?
Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed
Play
3 Nov 2026 • 21m10s
Ep 325: Jet Fuel Costs Dominate Q3 Airline Earnings, Grab & ASEAN's Accelerating Agentic Travel Revolution & AirAsia's 2027 Bahrain Reset
The first week of November is normally a calm period ahead of the end-of-year peak season mayhem, but the hot travel talking points continue to proliferate. While Hannah is at WTM in London, Gary recaps the latest developments across South East Asia and beyond. First up, the data breach at Amadeus and the statements released by Asian airlines, including Malaysian Airlines and Qantas, about what this means for passengers and their personal data.
Play
28 Oct 2026 • 26m15s
Ep 324: Malaysia's Air Passenger Slump, Sydney Joins the 'Two-Airports Club' & Singapore Plans Christmas with BTS
As we head into the final two months of a turbulent 2026, there’s a multitude of travel talking points to decipher across ASEAN and beyond. We start with Australia’s first major new airport for 50 years, which catapults Sydney into the club of cities with two international airports. We move onto Malaysia, which reported a 12% decrease in airport passengers in September, including a worrying 22% decline in domestic air travel.
