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

About This Episode

15 Sep 2021 • 34m00s

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.

We talk about the early year projections for a partial travel recovery, and the COVID concerns that emerged around the time of the Songkran festival.

We discuss in depth the protracted development and implementation of the Phuket Sandbox, and the lacklustre results so far. And, what has been the knock-on impact for domestic travel?

Plus we look ahead to the still-unconfirmed next phase of Thailand’s reopening, which includes the capital, Bangkok – one of the world’s most visited cities.

Show notes

Vincent’s upcoming events:

21 September: An Appetite for Travel webinar. More information here.

28 September (tentative): webinar on the reopening of Bangkok to international tourists by the FCCT. Check out their Facebook page for updates here.

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
5 Sep 2023 • 35m25s

Ep 187: Behind the Scenes of Australia’s Tourism Transformation Plan, with Samantha Palmer, AusTrade

Australia counts one of Asia Pacific’s most fascinating visitor economies. It combines vibrant inbound, outbound and domestic leisure and business travel segments with large international education, VFR and working holiday components. One in 7 businesses in Australia is related to tourism. So, how is Australia recovering from Covid-19, and how is it planning ahead for the rest of the decade, and beyond? This week, Gary and Hannah welcome Samantha Palmer, General Manager of Visitor Economy and Client Programs, at the Australian Trade & Investment Commission (AusTrade), to discuss the Thrive 2030 tourism strategy.
Play
28 Aug 2023 • 32m12s

Ep 186: The Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in August 2023

From 4.4 million to 15.4 million. Thailand is way out in front in South East Asia for year-to-date visitors in 2023 vs 2022. Two-thirds through 2023, Gary and Hannah look back to compare the progress for visitor arrivals in 7 ASEAN nations. We also discuss 8 other key talking points from August, as the summer holiday season subsides and the region prepares for the Chinese Golden Week in October. En route, we discuss new developments in ASEAN’s cross-border payments programme, and assess the outlook in Thailand as a new Prime Minister vows to prioritise tourism.