Ep 46: “It Will Take Upwards of 5 Years to Recover,” with Simon Westaway, Australian Tourism Industry Council

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About This Episode

9 Dec 2020 • 36m00s

It’s been a torrid year for travel and tourism in Australia. This week, Gary and Hannah chat with Simon Westaway, Executive Director of the Australian Tourism Industry Council.

In a candid and insightful interview, Simon discusses a broad sweep of inbound, outbound and domestic travel issues. From the ‘Black Summer’ bushfire season, Australia quickly encountered COVID-19 with the first infection in late January.

The show addresses Australia’s key 2020 developments, including the Ruby Princess, border bans, hotel quarantine outbreaks, state border politics and domestic travel in the summer season.

With national borders closed until at least March 2021, we look ahead to the vaccine rollout, potential travel bubbles and selected cohorts that might feature in a phased recovery. Key markets, such as China, New Zealand and South East Asia, also merit a mention. Australians are famously adventurous travellers, and Simon also looks to some high-priority destinations once they are able to take overseas trips again.

« Next Episode Ep 47: 2020: Looking Back On The Year That Changed Travel Forever Previous Episode » Ep 45: Welcome to the Age of Vaccine Travelnomics

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Thailand has grabbed headlines for much of 2021 in South East Asia, but what’s it been like to live and work in a country that appeared COVID-safe, and then was hit very hard by the Delta variant? In the final part of our ‘2021: The Year So Far in ASEAN’ series, Gary and Hannah chat with Vincent Vichit-Vadakan, a freelance writer and editor based in Bangkok. Vincent is also the host of tourism-related seminars for Destination Mekong and the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.

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9 Sep 2021 • 36m00s

Ep 93: Did August Mark the Start of ASEAN's Travel Turnaround?

Will history record that August 2021 was the month when travel returned to government agendas? It was certainly an eventful month in South East Asia as governments recognised that COVID-19 will be endemic, and that they must plan accordingly. Accelerating vaccination rollouts remains a priority, and a big challenge - especially for countries with large populations, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. This week, Gary and Hannah review the 6 top talking points in travel and tourism during August, and bring each one right up to date.

Ep 46: “It Will Take Upwards of 5 Years to Recover,” with Simon Westaway, Australian Tourism Industry Council

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 94: 2021: The Year So Far in Thailand, with Vincent Vichit-Vadakan

Ep 93: Did August Mark the Start of ASEAN's Travel Turnaround?

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman