Articles tagged “asia”

Unlike North America and Europe where cruising already has a loyal following — and critics in equal measures — Asia’s nascent cruise market also means the region’s travelers are likely more malleable and open in their impressions of cruising in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Raising productivity and easing a manpower crunch had been the original triggers behind the deployment of service robots and contactless technology in Asia’s hospitality sector, but the coronavirus pandemic will catalyze the automation trends already on the horizon.

Will stay-home travelers be enticed to open up their wallets when physical travel isn’t possible?

Redeploying furloughed employees for work outside of their traditional expertise may not open new revenue streams for travel businesses during the coronavirus crisis, but such initiatives can lead to new learnings for the company and staff alike. It’s a better option than having idle workers.

Like hotels and airlines, coronavirus has brought Asian elephant tourism camps to their knees. But this may present a golden opportunity to reinvent a controversial industry.

The coronavirus crisis accentuates the value of travel advisors as much as it highlights their plight as go-betweens in the tourism sector. But a bigger question looms: Will these travel intermediaries in Asia survive the onslaught of this latest crisis?

As far as warnings go, this is about as stark as you can get. For Korean Air Lines, its very survival really depends on how long the coronavirus crisis lasts.

It’s likely to get worse before it gets better for the Asian tourism industry. But forward-thinking players will know to take advantage of the current downtime to meet the pent-up demand for travel once recovery comes — which may not be far off.

Understanding the geopolitics of Asia and how it intersects with the world will make you understand why travel is resilient — and why its center will continue to be in Asia — in a post-coronavirus world.

Many tourism stakeholders in Asia are finally taking steps to tackle the climate change elephant in the room, but confusion over carbon offsetting is preventing the issue from being addressed swiftly and effectively. Meanwhile, the climate clock ticks on.