Ep 95: 10 Tough Travel Learnings From the First Three-Quarters of 2021

As South East Asia enters the 4th quarter of 2021, Gary and Hannah bash heads together to create a list of 10 top travel learnings from a year that – as yet – hasn’t really got going. Perhaps a rush of travel activity awaits around the corner… but 2021 has taught the travel industry some harsh lessons.

So on this week’s show, we discuss the following points:

1. 2021 is shaping up to worse than 2020 for tourism businesses
2. Governments being in control of travel is a disaster
3. Any ASEAN cooperation is a pipe dream
4. South East Asian tourism planners are directionless without Chinese tourists
5. Vaccines have not been the save-all the tourism industry thought they would be
6. Reopening may come down to 2 models: Thailand’s Phuket Sandbox or Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane
7. Pent-up demand is probable, but not guaranteed
8. Overlooking domestic markets is a long-term mistake
9. Outbound travel is of little importance to governments and
10. Media reporting of travel during the pandemic is clickbait driven.