Welcome aboard, this is your captain speaking. This week, we take a look at Asia's tourism sector and how countries and companies (like Klook and AirAsia) in the region are managing and adapting to risks.
Wishing you a pleasant read,
NC Airlines
đ« How Asia's tourism can make a comeback
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â#TRENDS
Travel in a Covid-19-vaccinated world [TTG Asia]
Recovery via vaccine rollouts - With APAC showing signs of a modest recovery in the first half of 2021, scaling up vaccination in SE Asia will be critical for maintaining that recovery.
Travel links in APAC - Singapore expects 80% of its population to be vaccinated by September, and are looking at travel corridors with low-risk countries. Phuketâs sandbox scheme is also an encouraging sign of rebound.
#BUSINESS
Klook boosts staycation experiences with livestream shopping [Forbes]
The pivot - Travel booking platform Klook is learning from the likes of Chinese retail giants like Alibaba and developed its own live streaming service, called Klook Live!, to directly connect local homestay providers with Klookâs wider audience.
Meeting needs of local markets - While millennials are the bulk of Klookâs consumers, older folks who crave one-to-one interaction are also satisfied through the interactive nature of the livestream, leading Klook Live! to see double the conversion in sales vs. what it had on Facebook Live.
#TECH
Vaccine passports within reach, but other issues must be addressed [CNA]
Digital passports - Vaccine verification isnât exactly new, although digital alternatives will be a worldâs first, and itâs being backed by countries in the EU and in Asia, such as Japan, Singapore and Thailand.
But other issues come first - Global vaccination passports need international cooperation and uniform regulation to make travel feel frictionless. It also needs robust technology (such as blockchain) to protect personal and private data against threats like ransomware.
đ On today's inflight menu
- Strategy: Klook on what it will mean to win in 2021
- Opinion: The âPhuket sandboxâ, a ray of hope for Asiaâs tourism industry?
- Changing course: How AirAsia pivoted from airline biz to âsuper appâ
- The Economist podcast: Travel is looking more and more like it did in the 1950sâa luxury
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