Domestic tourism, last-minute bookings key to saving Asia's travel sector

Published Mon, Sep 21, 2020 · 09:50 PM

WHEN Covid-19 first hit, many of my peers and colleagues in the travel sector held their breath, hoping for a quick return to "business as usual".

What has become abundantly clear in the eight months since is that, for the global aviation industry at least, the future is now going to look very different to the way things were before.

For a start, business travel is likely to be forever changed. The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of remote working practices to such an extent that companies now know that they can do many aspects of international business without the air miles.

Even if the benefits of face-to-face networking remain, the cost, envir…