Ep 75: Will Phuket Reopen on 1 July?, with David Luekens

Listen to this episode

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

11 Jun 2021 • 37m00s

Thailand, and specifically Phuket, is central to tourism discussions in South East Asia right now. To check the inbound reopening pulse, Gary and Hannah chat with David Luekens, Bangkok-based travel journalist and creator of the Thai Island Times newsletter.

The discussion looks back on the various proposals by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Thai government to reboot tourism over the past year, and the reasons for the failure of the Special Tourist Visa.

David also discusses the stop-start nature of domestic travel over recent months, and the impact of the recent COVID-19 outbreaks. With Thailand expected to confirm the Phuket Sandbox reopening programme soon, we assess the challenges and opportunities both for Phuket, and Thai tourism more broadly.

We also look at the strategies of destinations such as Koh Samui and Chiang Mai, and David updates us on the progress of Thailand’s vaccine rollout out a it starts to gain momentum.

Show notes

Thai Island Times here.

Find David on Twitter here.

« Next Episode Ep 76: Travel Reopening: Is it Only About Inbound Tourists? Previous Episode » Ep 74: The Past, Present & Future of Golf & Casino Tourism in ASEAN, with Bill Healey

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

30 Nov 2021 • 31m00s

Ep 112: Omicron Strikes Fear into South East Asia

Here we go again! “Omicron’s very emergence is another reminder that although many of us might think we are done with COVID-19, it is not done with us,” said the WHO this week. The emergence of a new ‘variant of concern’ is striking fear across South East Asia after the damage the Delta variant caused earlier in 2021 - and continues to cause in some countries of the region. Omicron events have already moved quickly, as governments around the world erect new travel barriers and quarantines come back into fashion.

Play

26 Nov 2021 • 23m00s

Ep 110: The SEA Travel News Show: Riding the China-Laos Railway

The spectacular country of Laos has been overshadowed as more prominent destinations in South East Asia grab the reopening headlines. Laos has tentatively set in motion its own reopening plan – and is about to make its mark on the global news agenda with the opening of the China-Laos Railway. For the latest news from Laos, Gary chats with Jason Rolan, who is Senior Partner of Vientiane-based RDK Group. We have news about the upcoming land border Vaccinated Travel Lane between Malaysia and Singapore and the latest on the Philippines’ crystallising reopening plans.