The rise of Asian economies and the boom in travel across Asia that has accompanied it has attracted the attention of the global travel and tourism community, and many more besides. In recent years the sheer number of outbound travellers from Asian countries combined with their well-documented spending power has made waves way beyond Asia-Pacific as destinations in all other regions scramble to understand the Asian traveller and adapt their products and services accordingly.

For the next three months I’ll be posting on Gen C Traveller from Bangkok, Thailand, home of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) the leading voice on travel and tourism in Asia and the Pacific for over 60 years. PATA have commissioned me to undertake a major new study, due to be launched later this year called The Rise of the Young Asian Traveller.

It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity and I hope to bring all of my knowledge of the industry and contacts to the fore in preparing what will be a timely report for the wider travel industry on this booming market.

The study will discuss a variety of hot topics, including:

• What’s behind the boom? (Economic, demographic, social, political factors…)
• Why youth travel in Asia is different to elsewhere
• How destinations in Asia are supporting the growth of youth travel
• What governments can do to help build bridges and capitalise on this market even more
• What brands are hot with the young Asian traveller?

If you’re interested in contributing your insight to the study, or have spotted something that challenges current assumptions about the young Asian traveller then please drop me a line at genctraveller@gmail.com You’ll be fully credited where appropriate. Click here to find out what other projects I’ve worked on in the past.

Stay tuned for more updates on Gen C Travel trends from the heart of South East Asia!