Truth Behind Travel Podcast

Director of WhiteInk Communication Shanghai Vanessa Zhu shares behind the scenes of life in China post-Covid and what are the current travel restrictions for Chinese travelers.  Vanessa has worked with multiple tourism boards across Asia to support and promote their China strategies but with the current travel bans, she highlights how new Chinese Travel patterns are shaping up despite the restrict...

General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Maldives Fari Islands Mark Hehir, set to open in 2021 shares what managing a pre-opening office in the middle of a pandemic really looks like.  From daily virtual 'line ups' to video-walks on the construction site, Mark tells us how 2020 has changed the way he feels about managing luxury properties in the Maldives and what he has personally learned.  B...

Group Director of HR and Talent Development at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Kenya based in Nairobi Mbithe Wambua connects to share how the last few months have changed the way human resources are keeping the teams motivated, trained and inspired. The hospitality workforce has been heavily affected over the past few months, in this episode, Mbithe shares more about: - how she kept the team 'c...

Author of the book The Psychology of Spas and Wellbeing and Group Director of Spa & Wellness at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group Jeremy McCarthy shares his insights and industry wisdom on how Wellness and Wellbeing have become a key focus for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group across the team and for their guests. Undoubtedly, SPAs have been heavily affected across the hospitality industry, so to emba...

Award-winning author and Mental Wellbeing Transformation Coach Rosalyn Palmer explores how travelers' mental health has been affected and how we could overcome our fears of traveling again. She shares her philosophy on the 5F of wellbeing and her direct life experiences of resilience and hope.  Rosalyn Palmer is the author of the award-winning self-help book: ‘ Reset! A Blueprint for a Better...

The Chairman of Jetwing Hotels Mr. Hiran Cooray speaks about how the domestic market is keeping the tourism industry afloat in Sri Lanka while borders remain closed to international tourists.  Highlights: Domestic Market Demands and Trends Wellness and Wellbeing Tourism with Ayurveda  Adventure Travel across the Sri Lankan National Parks Hiran Cooray has Represented Sri Lanka on the Board of Direc...

Chief Executive Officer of Orca Media Group Maldives, the media company behind the success of Travel Trade Maldives, Mr. Hussain Sunny Umar shares how he successfully turned an in-person trade show into a virtual travel event. Travel Trade Maldives is hosting the fourth edition virtually this year, and during the Travel Summit segment of the virtual event, I will be moderating virtual panels with...

UNWTO Senior Expert  Communication for Africa Mr. Kojo Bentum-Williams connects from Ghana to share how African Countries are reshaping their path to the next normal and how communities and institutions are embracing technology to open their borders and welcome travelers once again.  On today's episode: - Which African country is leading the way and what can we learn from it? - How technology...

Founder and CEO of Unique Hospitality Solutions and former Mandarin Oriental Group Director of Rooms Ms. Anja Luthje shares how she worked with her team at Mandarin Oriental to create a customized Covid19 Framework for The Group. They identified 3 types of ‘new guests’: - The Covid Sensitive - The Covid Super Sensitive - The Covid Fatigued and kept their employees engaged and motivated with: - 1 ...

Afzal Adam is the Hotel Manager of the Boutique Beach Hotel on the local island of Digurah in the Maldives. He shares how Covid19 has impacted the guesthouse business and how he managed to stay in touch with his repeater guests, not losing market share and protecting the local community of the COVID-FREE island of Digurah. When he first started 5 years ago, there were only two guesthouses on the i...

Director of Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority Mr. Arvind Bundhun on how the destination embraced a digital transformation including a brand new website, a destination App revamp, and even a range of Web Cams installed across the island to allow the world to see Mauritius LIVE, all planned to restore travel confidence.  COVID-FREE Mauritius has recently opened borders with mandatory quarantine,...

Regional General Manager of LUX* Resorts & Hotels Mauritius Mr. Ashish Modak on what the company has been working on behind the scenes over the past few months in preparation for re-opening their properties to international tourism.   Ashish Modak describes the company’s 5 Pillars to a New Normal and how they managed to stay in contact with all their guests on a very personal level to rebuild...

Chief Executive Officer of Seychelles Tourism Board Mrs. Sherin Francis on what Seychelles have done to secure a safe reopening for both tourists and citizens.  From the smart use of contact tracing to designated hotel facilities, Seychelles pioneered opening borders in the Indian Ocean and has welcome over 2000 tourists since. In collaboration with the private sector and enhancing educational pro...

The Managing Director of Maldives Tourism Board Mr. Thoyyib Mohamed shares what has been done in the Maldives to restore travel confidence and promote the destination. Social distancing Maldives-style, smart use of technology, and even a destination virtual tour, today's guest opens the launch series of Truth Behind Travel by sharing what still makes the Maldives a dream holiday destination d...

Truth Behind Travel Podcast is a weekly interview series in conversation with tourism industry leaders and travel professionals about what goes on in the industry today, how do we embark on the journey to travel recovery, and restore confidence in travel.  Whether you are a hospitality professional or a passionate traveler looking for a podcast that gives you more than just wanderlust, my tourism...