Ep 59: The Pandemic One Year On: What Have Travel & Tourism Learned?

About This Episode

10 Mar 2021 • 34m00s

11 March 2021 marks one year since the WHO declared a pandemic. So, what have we learned in South East Asia, and how can those lessons be best applied?

From a current standpoint, two things are clear: 1) international travel and tourism are in a desperate state, and 2) the travel industry hasn’t been able to find the solutions required to escape from the darkness.

This week, Gary and Hannah discuss 10 vital learnings from the past year, and how these discoveries can be used to drive a recovery.

We found out that Travel Bubbles didn’t work in 2020, so are they now a dead concept? What will be the future relationship between vaccines, PCR testing and quarantines? Will tourism authorities invest in domestic travel once borders reopen? Did governments finally learn to differentiate between travel and tourism? What role will China and India play in revitalising regional tourism? And, once the pandemic subsides, will the travel industry take the climate crisis seriously? All this and much, much more…

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
13 Apr 2026 • 21m50s

Ep 298: The Philippines' Gloomy Tourism Year Gets Worse, Travel Insurance Mandate in Thailand & Grab's AI Travel Play: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

On this week’s kickstarter show, Gary and Hannah explore travel and tourism issues across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Key topics include Malaysia potentially extending its Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign into 2027 amid Middle East economic impacts, declining arrivals in Boracay worsening the Philippines’ tourism prospects, and Thailand considering mandatory travel insurance for visitors. The episode also covers Grab’s expansion into AI-powered travel services focusing on hotel bookings, local dining, and cross-border e-payments, along with Garuda Indonesia’s substantial 2025 financial losses and new Tourism Ministers appointed in Thailand and the Philippines.
Play
10 Apr 2026 • 14m33s

Ep 297: How Have 6 Weeks of War Changed ASEAN's Travel Economies?: Start the Weekend with The South East Asia Travel Show

“Could South East Asia’s travel landscape look different in 12-18 months time?” The episode explores how Middle East conflict affects the region’s travel sector. Key topics include: The region’s dependence on imported oil, LNG, jet fuel, petrochemicals, and fertilizers Rising fuel costs and electricity supply challenges Government energy-conservation measures and work-from-home policies Food price inflation impacts Jet fuel scarcity effects on travel and tourism operations Hosts Gary and Hannah examine broader war-related economic consequences across Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific, comparing these disruptions to the COVID-19 pandemic’s travel impacts and discussing potential long-term shifts in the industry.