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.