The Birth of Club Asia

For centuries tourism was mostly the privilege of aristocrats or otherwise very well-off people.

In the early part of the 20th century, middle class people started taking trips to seaside or mountain resorts in search of recu­peration, better health and family time.

Then in the 1950s through 1970s, mass tourism came into vogue. A combination of newly minted econom­ic wealth combined and technological discoveries allowed people in middle and northern Europe to fly south for some sun and recreation in the Mediter­ranean.

Club Méditerranée SA, commonly known as Club Med, a French public lim­ited company specializing in the sale of package holi­days is probably the best example of this trend.

I believe a ‘Club Asia’ is un­folding. People from Asia’s colder North are flocking to ASEAN for the same reasons northern Europeans began to flock to the Mediterra­nean. The growth momen­tum is further strengthened by travelling within ASEAN, which is booming on the back of the proliferation of low-cost carriers, affordable hotels and visa waivers, like the one between Myanmar and Singapore recently