Tech is key to rebooting tourism

Southeast Asia relies heavily on tourism. In 2019, the travel and tourism industry contributed 12.1% of the region's GDP and approximately one in 10 people are employed within and around it, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). Nationwide lockdowns and international border closures imposed to contain the pandemic have been detrimental for the industry across the region. There are, however, some small green shoots of recovery with a focus on domestic tourism and local spending. Popular tourist destinations like Thailand are poised to re-open and other destinations are also considering bilateral "travel bubbles', 'green lanes" and "travel corridors". Sojern, a tourism data analytics company, recently reported that online searches for Bali hotels have almost reached pre-pandemic levels based on potential re-opening early next year. There is significant pent-up demand...