Issue #71 - A South East Asia Travel Wishlist for the Year of the Tiger
A 22-point regional plan as South East Asia’s race to reopen intensifies.
Welcome to issue 71 of Asia Travel Re:Set…
South East Asia is racing to reopen borders - finally!
As the region prepares for its 3rd successive Lunar New Year to be impacted by the pandemic - welcoming back travellers has risen up governmental agendas.
Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Laos are making moves. Malaysia and Vietnam may be poised. Indonesia is hand-picking flights into Bali.
A new-found positivity seems to be in the air ahead of the Year of the Tiger.
So, this week, I’ve set out a 22-point wish list for ASEAN travel and tourism that Hannah Pearson and I discussed this month on The South East Asia Travel Show.
Thanks for being on board,
Gary
The Sunday Itinerary
- This Week’s Top 5
Updates from Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, AirAsia
- 22 for 2022: A Wishlist for Travel & Tourism in ASEAN
A 22-point regional plan as South East Asia’s race to reopen intensifies
“IN THE NEWS”
Had fun this week on a panel discussing Getting Malaysia Back on the International Business Events Map at the 2nd edition of X-Change Malaysia. The call from players across Malaysia’s travel, tourism & business events sectors was clear: “Let’s reopen!”
This Week’s Top 5
Updates from the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, AirAsia
The Philippines postponed its planned reopening for vaccinated travellers just before Christmas, but it is now rescheduled for 10 February.
Momentum appears to be gathering pace in Vietnam to reopen its borders for vaccinated visitors ahead of hosting the South East Asian Games in May.
Japan has cut its on-arrival quarantine period twice in 2 weeks. Firstly, from 14 days to 10 days - and now to 7 days.
Malaysia gained a new, small-scale airline this week with the launch of SKS Airways, which connects Kuala Lumpur with island destinations.
AirAsia, South East Asia’s largest LCC, cemented its shift towards being an investment and online services company by changing its name to Capital A.
Here’s a 22-point regional plan for South East Asia as the race to reopen intensifies.
1. Separate border control from tourism management
Pandemic realities have left travel and tourism more exposed than ever to political power playing. Loosening state control is South East Asia's biggest challenge.
2. No target setting… unless it is rational and achievable
Annual visitor arrivals targets can galvanise the travel industry (Maldives 2021). Neatly rounded up ones pulled from the ether (and frequently revised) do not. They skew supply and demand and encourage price-slashing.
3. The word “reopening” disappears from our vocabulary
Prolonged travel shutouts have made us impatient for grand governmental gestures to unlock the airport gates in unison. Over a period of time, travel will return organically.
4. Outbound travel to start in a meaningful way
Most ASEAN countries have concentrated on restoring inbound travel. All markets will see a surge of outbound bookings once quarantines upon return are removed.
5. The China market returns
Unlikely. The extensive Chinese travel eco-system across the region means a full recovery is impossible without its business, leisure and edu-travel visitors. China’s ongoing quest to produce an mRNA vaccine could determine when they return.
6. A community standard for health *
“Testing on arrival paid for by the government (and reimbursed from the ticket), plus mandatory (and graduated) restrictions by gauge of state in departing country. Full tracing and notifications to your phone. Daily case public data for each disease. Compliance exception penalties clearly laid out. Enforcement on airline or transportation providers.”
7. Intra-ASEAN travel without quarantines
The recent ASEAN Tourism Ministers summit in Cambodia reiterated a commitment to open an “ASEAN Travel Corridor”. We’ve heard this before. Individual countries are now going their own way, but a 10-nation agreement remains an important goal.
8. A regional recognition that quarantines are unworkable
Because they just are.
9. Recognition of the diverse value that backpacker tourism brings
Politicians / tourism board officials talk about targeting high-yield / high-value tourists, as if this is a plausible metric. And yet, backpackers are already active again in the region, taking their cultural curiosity and spending into off-track areas.
10. Digital transformation gets serious for SMEs
We live in a SuperApp era in which consumers carry their lifestyles in their hands at all stages of the travel journey. The capacity to understand (in real time) their motivations to travel and spend are as vital as providing app-driven services.
11. We have to come to terms with the fact that the pandemic has changed many things, some temporarily others possibly permanently
Blatant Plug: This Friday, The South East Asia Travel Show will start a short season of podcasts discussing the short-, medium- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on travel and tourism with influential players across the region.
12. Tone down the media sensationalism
COVID-19 galvanises eyeballs, but daily case counting on news shows and a sense of alarm as Omicron infections rise (and they will) is starting to miss the point.
13. The travel media must be responsible with its pandemic terminology
The term “post-pandemic travel” has started to creep into headlines and articles. It’s inaccurate and misleading. Let’s all be more selective with our word choices.
14. Governments start communicating with common sense, not in vacuous acronyms, neologisms and proxy terms
No more “Extension Areas,” “Green Travel Trails” or “Pilot International Travel Bubbles.” Let’s eliminate the psychobabble, and talk real travel once more.
15. More vaccine equality
Vaccine and booster rates have improved dramatically, but supply shortfalls still exist in ASEAN’s larger nations and beyond. And what happens when Jab #4 is required?
16. Removal of the requirement to book through approved tour agents
As per #1, governmental control has infused travel supply mechanisms. Vietnam and Malaysia both opened pilot inbound schemes where all bookings are made through approved local agents. This stymies competition, limits choice and inflates prices.
17. A standard approach to necessary operational changes **
“A standard approach to operational changes required by hotels, attractions, restaurants, tours & activities, plus border controls when a new community outbreak of concern occurs, instead of surprise curfews or severe capacity caps. An expected standard approach would allow business owners to make better plans, and for consumers to have more confidence in planning activities, especially travel.”
18. Domestic stimulus packages assist players in the whole value chain
Domestic travel will be economically important even when borders reopen. Are governments prepared to financially and strategically support their local players who provide vital services for both homegrown and international travellers?
19. Tourism industry to be seen as attractive once again for fresh grads
Repairing seismic dislocations will require fresh, young voices to direct a new era of travel. How can the industry effectively tap the youthful talent that has studied the two-year demise, and will aspire, think and travel in different ways than ever before?
20. All tourism businesses to set and publish zero emissions targets
The impacts of climate change are worsening - and the travel industry is in the cross-hairs. Nothing will change unless real change is driven by industry players. It will incur extra costs, inconveniences and service dislocations. There is no alternative.
21. Recognise that travel and tourism’s societal contribution is more than “percentage of GDP”
People travel for many and varied reasons. Economic uplift is part of the overall value of travel. But the real benefits are much more complex. Travel brings people together in ways that the pandemic showed are life-enhancing - and deeply missed.
22. Let’s bring the fun back to travel!
Please.
—
Two items on the list were provided by listeners to The South East Asia Travel Show:
* Timothy O'Neil-Dunne, Principal at T2Impact, Washington State, US
** Karen Yue, TTG Asia Group Editor, Singapore
The South East Asia Travel Show’s annual Lunar New Year round-up assesses the positive vibes emanating across the region… and which countries are setting out their next moves. The Philippines is poised to reopen. Will Singapore scale up its VTLs? Is Vietnam edging towards welcoming back inbound travellers? Can we expect a similar announcement from Malaysia? What’s the latest on Thailand’s revival of its ‘Test & Go’ visitor scheme? And is Bali concentrating on hosting the G20 summit?
Listen here:
🎧 Website 🎧 Spotify 🎧 Apple
Or wherever you grab your pods!
And, that’s a wrap for Issue 71.
The newsletter will return in 2 weeks time.
Until then, find me on Twitter, LinkedIn, the Asia Travel Re:Set website and The South East Asia Travel Show.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Lunar New Year.
Xin Nian Kuai Le!
Gary