Ep 73: Will Bali Reopen in July?, with Stuart McDonald

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

2 Jun 2021 • 36m00s

Will Bali reopen for inbound tourism next month?

This week, Gary and Hannah are delighted to welcome back Stuart McDonald, Bali-based founder of Travelfish, to talk all things travel and tourism in Bali and beyond.

Bali originally planned to reopen to international tourists last September, but that was postponed. It’s now aiming for July 2021, but will it happen? Much relies on two things, getting sufficient residents vaccinated and finding inbound markets that will permit their citizens to visit Bali.

Stuart discusses how COVID-19 has impacted travel businesses and daily life around Bali, the outlook for domestic tourism and the current economic situation in Bali and Indonesia.

He also addresses the ‘Digital Nomad Visa’ and ‘Work From Bali’ proposals, potential competition for visitors with Phuket and media articles about the behaviour of foreign visitors in Bali’s beach towns.

We also assess the challenges for reopening tourism elsewhere in South East Asia, such as Singapore, Cambodia and Laos, and the prospect of tourism adopting a more sustainable stance in future.

Show Notes

Travelfish

Couchfish

Twitter: https://twitter.com/travelfish

« Next Episode Ep 74: The Past, Present & Future of Golf & Casino Tourism in ASEAN, with Bill Healey Previous Episode » Ep 72: 6 Reasons Why Travel Remains on Hold in South East Asia

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

15 Sep 2021 • 34m00s

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

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.

Play

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.