Three more weeks before I head to Amsterdam to run WIT Europe as part of Phocuswright and I am looking forward to shared experiences and lessons between our two continents.

I’ve always seen Europe as more similar to Asia than any other region – it is multi-lingual, multi-cultural and steeped in history and traditions. Yes, it has a more formalised form of union – the EU versus, say, ASEAN which has struggled to unite with common, cohesive policies – but it is still a fragmented market with different levels of development, nuances and textures.

There is no doubt that travel in Europe is being transformed by travellers from Asia. Customers bring with them their own set of needs, desires and experiences and go anywhere in Europe now, and you see groups of travellers from different parts of Asia.

Think about it – China is already such a huge force in travel and only 9% of them have passports. So people may talk about a slowdown in China but just think about the upside of growth, not from the main cities but from the secondary cities, not only in China but across South-east Asia.

Fraser Thompson, director of AlphaBeta, speaking at HICAP Update in Singapore, pointed out that ASEAN, comprising 10 countries in South-east Asia, is the fifth largest economy in the world. “The shortterm always disappoints, the longterm will deliver,” he said. “Korea, Japan and Australia have a vested interest in making ASEAN work.”

Want to understand the rise of the middle class economy in ASEAN – study the demand in instant noodles, which is off the charts in Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta.

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