Ep 37: Olympics 2021, Space Tourism & Harry Potter: What's The Future of Travel in Japan?

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22 Sep 2020 • 29m00s

This week, Gary and Hannah take a virtual trip to Japan - Land of the Rising Sun and, pre-pandemic, an increasingly popular destination for travellers from across South East Asia. Having started the year expecting the biggest ever Sakura festival in history followed by the Tokyo Olympics, 2020 has been particularly unkind to Japan.

A so-called “Plague Ship” in Yokohama harbour catalysed a year of uncertainty that saw the Olympics shelved for 12 months, and hopes dashed of welcoming 10 million Chinese arrivals and 40 million visitors overall.

The economy is deep in recession and COVID-19 isn’t yet under control. Ever a pragmatic nation, though, Japan has plenty of plans for its tourism future. These range from the rescheduled Olympics in 2021 to space trips for super-rich tourists, casino resorts and new theme park dedicated to the hero of Hogwarts.

« Next Episode The Friday Rewind 6: KLIA Transit Troubles, Positive Vibes in Vietnam & Tourist Trash Returns to Sender Previous Episode » Ep 36: Q4 2020: What's the Best South East Asia Travel Can Hope For?

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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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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 37: Olympics 2021, Space Tourism & Harry Potter: What's The Future of Travel in Japan?

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