Issue #165: South East Asia's Top 6 Travel & Tourism Takeaways in 2024!
Part 1 of a 3-part rewind of Asia Pacific travel and tourism in 2024.
Welcome to Issue 165 of Asia Travel Re:Set.
Exactly 5 years ago, Hannah Pearson and I were shopping for microphones in KL, designing a logo and fretting over the mechanics of podcast feeds.
We had conceived The South East Asia Travel Show in September 2019 because: 1) This dynamic travel region was under-analysed beyond the surface level, and 2) There were few discursive Asia travel podcasts at the time.
To date, we’ve produced 230+ episodes, and built a following in 80+ countries. We are independent and self-funded. We don’t interview Big Travel CEOs - that’s not our beat - we don’t ‘break’ stories, and we’ve only accepted 3 of the many pitches received.
But, we’ve stayed true to our founding goal: to analyse South East Asian travel and tourism in data-derived detail, and to debate the important contexts behind the headlines and the off-media-radar topics.
I am very proud of the work Hannah and I have created since we launched in January 2020 - just as Covid was identified.
And, in my view, 2024 has been our best year yet.
So, let’s follow that train of thought…
Thanks for checking in.
Will it? Well, it's already happening in gradations, but are there limits to the ultimate role of AI in tourism? Amid talk of "Super Tools" and a keen embrace of all things GenAI by consumers around the region - how deeply (and effectively) will AI embed itself across the travel chain? "Analysts believe most, if not all, of the travel industry is ripe for AI disruption."Click HERE TO READ my new article for the Asia Media Centre - presenting a snapshot of AI in Asia Pacific tourism in late-2024.
“As Chinese tourists travel internationally again, their desires have changed. Western markets must understand Chinese social media.” Thanks to Terence Baker of Hotel News Now for this detailed write-up of our Chinese outbound tourism panel at WTM in London. “The future is exceptionally strong to put it mildly. There is more demand coming out of China than any other market.” CLICK HERE to read the article.
South East Asia's Top 6 Travel & Tourism Takeaways in 2024!
The Dubai of ASEAN. Visa Waivers. October Golden Week. Tourist Taxes. All Gender Weddings. Gastronomy Tourism in Cebu. Cross-Border Rail Investment. Muslim Friendly Tourism & Hospitality. University Tourism. Scam Centre Tourism Fears. Stargazing. The Bali Benchmark.
Those are 12 of the many topics we debated on The South East Asia Travel Show in 2024. The second unrestricted year of travel in the region since borders reopened (in April/May 2022) proved a rich source of talking points. Here are 6 key takeaways:.
1) Asia is Back on the Global Map
No question. After playing catch-up since the protracted border closures ended in Q2 2022, Asia is again central to conversations about the future of international tourism. Travel conferences saw Asian themes take centre stage - but the content and tone had changed since 2019. In October, we ran through Fall’s Top 10 Travel Conference Topics, including Shifting Demographic Influences, Indigenous Tourism, SuperApps, Over-tourism, AI, Muslim Tourism, China and India.
2) The Regional Impact of Taylornomics
In February, multi-Grammy-winning Taylor Swift kicked off the Asia swing of her Eras tour in Tokyo ahead of dates in Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore. Music tourism is a hot emerging trend, with destinations like Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Macau, Bangkok, Jakarta and Hong Kong competing to attract shows by Asian and global megastars. So, what’s next? Martin Haigh, Sales Director of Total Ticketing, joined us to discuss the mechanics of concert and sports event tourism and disruption of sales channels for music events. Will Concerts & Events become a new category on OTA platforms alongside hotels, flights and car rentals?
3) Tackling Economic Leakage in Thailand
“How do you know your tourism activity's overall impact is beneficial to a community if you aren't measuring it?”
My personal favourite interview of 2024. In September, Ewan Cluckie, Founder of Thailand-based Tripseed, joined us to discuss socio-economic sustainability in tour operations and measuring economic leakages. In 2024, Tripseed published its deeply researched Economic Distribution Disclosure Initiative, a set of tools and metrics designed to "drive transparency and positive impact within the local economy”. Bold, controversial - and a subject you will hear a great deal more about in 2025.
There’s still time to sign up for the final OAG Webinar of 2024. I’ll be joining John Grant, Deirdre Fulton and Rebecca Francosky to deconstruct the key aviation and travel industry issues worldwide in 2024 - and look forward to 2025.
Join us on Wednesday 4 December. Full details HERE.
4) Singapore’s 2040 Vision
“Many countries have identified tourism as a key driver of economic growth. Competition for the tourism dollar is set to intensify.”
In May, Singapore set out its strategy for expanding and diversifying tourism through 2040. It easily outscores other national plans in South East Asia in terms of its scope and intuition. The Vision spans the period before and after Changi International Airport’s vast new Terminal 5 enters into operation. We discussed Singapore’s tourism future as it prioritises strategy over statistical pole vaulting - and is set within the context of Asia being “the engine of growth of the global economy.”
5) Outlook for Muslim Tourism in Asia Pacific
“The Muslim friendly tourism and hospitality eco-system will be the next big thing in global tourism.”
Muslim tourism is forecast to be valued at USD225 billion globally by 2030, with ASEAN as a primary growth centre. In August, Nizran Noordin, Director General of the Islamic Tourism Centre in Malaysia joined us to discuss efforts to promote the Muslim visitor economy in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines, plus China, Russia, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macau - and the challenge of developing standardised Muslim tourism branding, marketing and communications.
6) “Everyone Wants to Go to Japan”
In 2024, China emerged as a hot destination for group travellers from South East Asian nations, particularly Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam. But Japan surged far ahead as the aspirational hotspot of choice for regional tourists. In May, we headed (vicariously) to Japan to break down the astonishing surge of travel to Asia Pacific's most desirable post-Covid destination. Will this endure into 2025? We wouldn’t bet against it.
That’s a wrap for this week.
Asia Travel Re:Set will return next Sunday.
Meanwhile, find me at LinkedIn, The South East Asia Travel Show and High-Yield Tourism.
Happy travels,
Gary