Dear AST friend,

As Q3 2025 draws to a close, we’re proud to debut the AST Market Brief — your monthly intelligence on a selection of noteworthy developments in sustainable tourism, digital media, and climate action across Asia.

In this inaugural edition, we spotlight six pivotal stories reshaping policy, finance, and consumer behavior at the intersection of sustainability and travel.

It’s essential reading for anyone serious about staying ahead of the curve. See preview below. 👇

The full brief is now live on our website, exclusively for AST Trailblazers. And a quick reminder: our special launch rate ends September 30.

This is your chance to secure founder pricing and unlock premium access to actionable insights like monthly Market Briefs, practical roadmaps, and high-value industry connections.

Join today via the link below. 👇

If you like our content and want to support us, please share this newsletter with your friends to help us grow.

We plant a tree to welcome every new subscriber through our partnership with OneSeed.

Asia’s Travel Industry is Being Rewired by Climate and Digital Shifts

1. Bali bans new hotels and restaurants on agricultural land.

What happened

After the worst flooding in a decade (resulting in 18 deaths and thousands displaced), Bali declared a state of emergency. 

Governor Wayan Koster announced a ban on new hotels, restaurants, and commercial facilities on productive agricultural land, especially rice paddies. 

This policy, part of Bali’s 100-year development plan, was triggered by evidence that overdevelopment, deforestation, and poor waste management worsened flood impacts. 

The ban is expected to go into effect by the end of 2025.

Source: The Guardian. 

Why it matters

Could Bali’s land-use moratorium be a bellwether across the country and the region, pivoting from expansion to protection and resilience? 

Experts say it’s hard to predict what could happen next as climate-centric tourism and land should be location-specific.

But one thing is for sure: in the immediate future, the era of unchecked expansion on greenfields in Bali is closing. 

This is not just a Bali issue; Asia’s high-pressure tourist areas such as Phuket, Boracay, Koh Samui, and Phu Quoc could benefit from more climate-smart land use policy.

Hoteliers who move first on asset retrofits and policy engagement will capture demand in a constrained market. 

Strategic considerations

• Invest in climate-resilient infrastructure (drainage, floodproofing, waste management) to reduce operational risk.

• Collaborate with local authorities on land conservation and waste solutions to build goodwill and secure a long-term license to operate.

• Shift growth strategies from greenfield projects to retrofits, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment of existing assets.

2. ADB signs a US$126M loan for sustainable tourism in Uttarakhand, India.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and India’s central government signed a US$126.4 million loan (₹1,100 crore) to develop sustainable, climate-resilient tourism around Tehri Lake in Uttarakhand. 

The project is expected to benefit over 87,000 residents and 2.7 million annual visitors by funding: 

• Climate-resilient infrastructure upgrades and nature-based solutions to reduce disaster risk.

• Sanitation and waste management improvements.

• Livelihood grants for women and youth-led enterprises.

• Universal access design and women-led disaster risk management initiatives.

Source: The Times of India

→ Read more about why multilateral capital is increasingly tied to sustainability benchmarks.

3. Andhra Pradesh, India pushes EV infrastructure in tourism.

→ Go deeper into this story here.

4. Asia’s tourism heavyweights focus on ‘managed tourism’ growth. 

In August–September 2025, two of Asia’s top tourism countries — Japan and Thailand — announced major policy shifts reshaping how tourism will grow:

• Japan introduced stricter over-tourism controls — including visitor caps, peak pricing, and visa adjustments — to protect cultural heritage and reduce the social and environmental stress of overcrowding in hotspots such as Kyoto and Nara. While not framed as climate policy, these measures reflect a broader move toward managing tourism within ecological and social limits. Source: Travel Mode

• Thailand unveiled its Green Tourism Plan 2030, with a clear climate focus: cutting tourism emissions by 40% by 2030, creating stronger certification schemes, incentivizing low-carbon upgrades, and positioning Thailand as a globally recognized sustainable destination. Source: TTG Asia

→ Learn what these developments could mean for the industry.

5. Asia’s social media landscape: Short-form video dominance and platform growth

Three major reports (Deloitte, We Are Social, eMarketer) highlight how Asia is now the epicenter of global social media growth:

• Deloitte: Short-form, creator-led video (TikTok, Reels, Shorts) has overtaken streaming as the #1 media habit, with ad spend shifting to creator commerce.

• We Are Social: Southeast Asia is TikTok’s largest advertising audience globally — nearly one-quarter of TikTok’s total ad base. Source:

• eMarketer: Asia-Pacific is expected to add 210 million new users by 2029, led by India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Facebook has 1.04 billion users and Instagram has 764.6 million (excluding China).

→ Check out what you can do to capitalize on these trends.

6. WeForum + Kearney: 4 future scenarios for tourism include carbon pricing, digital disruption

The World Economic Forum and Kearney mapped four plausible futures for travel and tourism shaped by geopolitics, technology, sustainability, and cooperation. Scenarios include:

1. A Thousand Islands World — geopolitical fragmentation leads to regionalized travel and reduced long-haul demand.

2. Harmonious Horizons — strong global cooperation fuels booming arrivals (+29% by 2030), but overtourism and aviation emissions spike.

3. Green Ascent — strict environmental rules and eco-conscious travelers push regenerative tourism mainstream (68% prefer eco-certified destinations).

4. Tech Turbulence — rapid AI, AR, VR, and automation adoption polarize markets; virtual tourism grows but jobs are disrupted.

→ Explore how these scenarios could play out in real time.

🚨 AST Membership Launch Offer Ends September 30 🚨

Become an AST Member today and move from watching change to leading it.

AST Membership is built for hoteliers, marketers, and tourism professionals who are ready to take bold action on sustainability. The membership comes with the insights, tools, and connections to make it happen.

• AST Briefing: Weekly curated updates on sustainable travel trends

• Feature & Archive articles: In-depth reporting on sustainability in hospitality & tourism

• Evokit: A resource hub of ready-to-use templates & guides

• AST Webinars: Live conversations with subject-matter experts, hoteliers & changemakers

• AST Forums: Flagship events spotlighting overlooked tourism communities

• Sustainability Solution Providers Directory: Curated list of vetted sustainability solutions

• Monthly Market Brief: Stay ahead with exclusive insights, regulations & funding opportunities

• Strategic Member Connections: Personalized introductions to like-minded collaborators

Don’t just keep up with the industry. Shape it.

Choose your path

AST Explorer (Free)

Ideal for professionals wanting to stay informed and stay sharp.

• AST Briefing (this newsletter)

• Feature articles + Evokit (limited access)

• Invites to AST Forums & Webinars (fees may apply)

$0. No commitment. High-quality, in-depth content.

Start as an AST Explorer today.

AST Trailblazer (Premium)

For leaders ready to take bold action, now. Unlock everything in Explorer plus:

• Webinar recordings

• AST Forums at member rates

• Full Evokit access (ready-to-use playbooks & templates)

• Market briefs on trends, regulations, and funding opportunities

• Strategic matchmaking curated intros

Special Launch Offer: 

Join by September 30, 2025. Become an AST Trailblazer for US$68/year (vs ~ 23% off; US$88/year from October 1).

Team Membership

If you’re part of a team, we’ve streamlined membership for companies: one invoice, one renewal, zero stress — and it scales as your team grows. 

Reply to this email for team rates.

Don’t just follow the sustainability agenda. Lead it.

This newsletter may contain affiliate links. If you click on one and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Our recommendations are based on thorough research and personal experience, and we only promote products and services we genuinely believe in. Thank you for supporting our work.