Ep 91: 2021: The Year So Far in Indonesia, with Julia Winterflood

About This Episode

26 Aug 2021 • 38m00s

Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelago, and counts the planet’s fourth largest population. It is also South East Asia’s largest country and its biggest economy. The size, scale and diversity of the nation have been decisive factors for its long struggle to contain COVID-19, and the immense logistical challenges of inoculating its people. That said, significant progress is being made, and although the reopening of Bali to international travellers has faded from view for now, a cautious optimism exists for the future.

So in Part 8 of our 2021: The Year So Far In… series, Gary and Hannah head to Indonesia to chat with Bali-based Julia Winterflood, who is Head Writer of The Bali Beat and a journalist for Travel Weekly Asia.

Julia discusses new trends in domestic tourism that have emerged, and the fascinating concept of “tourist villages”. We also update the latest vaccination figures nationwide and in Bali itself, analyse the structural impact on Indonesia’s travel economy and learn the attitudes among young people about what tourism means to them.

Finally, we address the much-discussed concept of “mass tourism” vs “quality tourism”.

Resources

The Bali Beat

Julia on Twitter

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
13 Jun 2025 • 33m14s

Ep 257: Chinese Backpackers, Mountains Clad with Solar Panels, a Giant Lenin Statue & Delightful Almaty: An Epic Overland Journey from Bali to Britain, with Stuart McDonald

“I wish I had 640 days to do this trip, not 64.” Bali-based Stuart McDonald, founder of Travelfish, is 34 days into an ambitious two-month overland trip across 18 countries from his Bali home to Leeds in the UK. So, why is he doing it? What has he experienced en route? And what have been the finest discoveries of the journey so far? This week, Gary catches up with Stuart in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan, to track back across his train and-bus route so far, which has taken him from Bali to Jakarta, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Play
6 Jun 2025 • 40m55s

Ep 256: A 'Resort Airline', An OTA Law Suit, Time for Timor Leste & Blackpink Back in the Area: May 2025 in Review

May was another hectic month of BIG travel, tourism and geopolitical talking points in South East Asia. This month’s roundup takes Gary and Hannah around ASEAN, from our home city of Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor Leste and Vietnam – plus China, India (sort of), Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. En route, we discuss China’s new ASEAN visa, Indonesia clings to its high-speed rail ambitions, and ASEAN accumulates an 11th member, and perhaps as a 12th in future.