Ep 98: Reporting Travel in South East Asia During a Pandemic, with Julia Winterflood

The travel trade media has experienced huge disruption during the pandemic. Story angles have been forcibly changed as South East Asia’s decade of growth disintegrated and destination borders stayed shut. But what happens next as governments in the region prepare to bring back travel and tourism?

This week, Gary chats about the intricacies of COVID-era travel journalism with Bali-based Julia Winterflood. During the pandemic, Julia has been Head Writer of The Bali Beat, and a travel journalist for Travel Weekly Asia, BBC Storyworks and Travelfish.

In a broad-ranging discussion, we vicariously journey from Bali and across Indonesia to Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Laos and Cambodia.

We ask whether local people’s rights and the expectations of travellers and travel industry staff will be listened to in future. And how should the travel media report the industry’s responsibility to the environment and the planet’s natural resources?

The show finishes in Julia’s home country, Australia, as we touch on the issue of ‘national healing’ after the controversies and state schisms it has experienced over the last 18 months.

[Click the links to read two of Julia’s articles referenced in the podcast: Philippines and Bali]