Dear AST friend,

In this week’s Feature Story, we share top industry developments from January.

ICYMI: the next AST Webinar is on 19 February, and we also launched Sustainability Solution Connect last week. Details of how to join are below. 👇

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Is January 2026 the Start of a Structural Shift in Asia’s Tourism Strategy?

In January 2026, Asia’s tourism sector reached a milestone as governments, institutions, industry associations, and communities advanced coordinated frameworks, digital tools, visitor management, and ecosystem protection.

Regional policy coordination, targeted investments, evidence-based strategies, and localized enforcement are helping shift tourism toward more resilient, regenerative, and higher-value models in response to climate risks and overtourism.

In this article:

Part 1: Regional Frameworks and Investments

ASEAN launched a joint tourism roadmap, backed by a US$3 billion ADB funding pipeline to position climate-resilient, digitally enabled, and inclusive tourism as a regional investment priority rather than a policy aspiration.

Part 2: National Digital and Promotional Strategies

Thailand and Vietnam signaled a push toward quality-led growth in January, with Thailand launching high-profile campaigns featuring BLACKPINK’s Lisa to redirect visitors to secondary destinations and Vietnam’s Thái Nguyên Province rolling out a digital transformation plan to better manage growth through data and technology. 

Part 3: Industry Insights, Research and Trends

From India and South Korea to the launch of GSTC’s Futures Lab, leaders converged on a shared priority, moving beyond arrival numbers toward credible impact measurement, resilient growth, and evidence-based sustainability that can withstand climate and market pressures.

Part 4: Visitor Management and Enforcement

Destinations such as Luang Prabang and Hanoi stepped up peak-season enforcement and visitor flow management to protect heritage sites, curb congestion and waste, and maintain service quality during high-demand periods.

Part 5: Regional Best Practices in Sustainable Tourism

From Lao PDR’s integration of cultural heritage into economic planning and Cambodia’s new safeguards for fragile cave ecosystems, to Siargao’s mangrove restoration creating livelihoods and coastal resilience, these initiatives show how protection and prosperity can be designed to move forward together.

Have you secured your seat for the upcoming AST Webinar?  

Every direct booking is a vote of confidence in your brand.

It’s not just about cutting OTA commissions; it’s about owning the guest relationship and building long-term loyalty.

When a guest chooses you first, you own the relationship, the data, and the revenue.

But with OTA dominance and rising acquisition costs, how do you make direct the preferred channel?

In sustainability discussions, many forget that profit is a key pillar.
Without financial resilience and healthy margins, a hotel cannot sustain its operations, staff, or sustainability-led initiatives.

Recovering this revenue is the focus of our upcoming webinar, “Own the Guest, Own the Revenue: Advanced Direct Booking Strategies.”

What you’ll learn:

• How to shift the balance away from OTA dependency with real-world case studies from Blessy Townes of Discovery Hospitality

• How to use predictive personalization to create tailored experiences that convert, with insights from Ivan Cintado of The Hotels Network (THN, now a Lighthouse company)

• How to transform your existing video content into shoppable booking engines with Madhavan Nair of Hoffero

• The AI-driven SEO strategies you need to get prioritized by search tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, from Eduard Ruppel of Leppur Marketing

Moderator: Rhea Vitto Tabora - Co-Founder, Asia Sustainable Travel (AST)

📅 Thursday, 19 February 2026 
⏰ 4:00–5:00 PM (UTC+8)

Secure your spot and receive a Zoom link to join live.

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