Asia’s tourism story has never been for the faint-hearted. It’s a region that has faced more crises, comebacks, and comically timed typhoons than most travel brochures care to mention. Now, two Australian academics have turned that volatility into a book, not just any book, but one that dissects the art of marketing paradise while preparing for its subsequent upheaval.
Due for release in February 2026, Risk and Tourism Marketing in Asia, published by Routledge, is co-edited by Dr David Beirman (University of Technology Sydney) and Professor Jeff Wilks (Adjunct Professor at Griffith University). Between them, they’ve marshalled a remarkable cast of 49 contributors from 18 countries, examining how Asian destinations blend glamour with grit in a post-pandemic marketplace.
“It’s been a genuine team effort,” says Beirman. “Jeff and I wanted this book to be both academically sound and readable for people actually working in tourism.”
Readable it is and unusually timely.
A Pan-Asian Perspective
The book spans Indonesia to the Maldives, touching every corner of the world’s most diverse tourism theatre. Contributors include former Indonesian Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno, long-time Laos-based journalist Bernie Rosenbloom, and several industry leaders from Malaysia, Nepal, and the Philippines. The foreword, written by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Chairman Peter Semone, strikes an optimistic tone, celebrating the region’s resilience while acknowledging its fragility.
As Beirman puts it, “Asia has been through it all, from pandemics to political protests to tsunamis and yet it continues to lead global tourism recovery. We wanted to understand why.”
Each country chapter follows ten common threads: crisis communication, brand rebuilding, sustainability, digital marketing, and the delicate dance between perception and preparedness.
The editors don’t dwell on jargon. Instead, they pull together a patchwork of real-world stories of how Vietnam pivoted from lockdowns to luxury marketing, how Japan’s focus on safety became its most bankable brand, and how Sri Lanka’s recovery has relied on balancing optimism with realism.
Marketing in a World of Maybes
One of the book’s sharper insights is that risk management has quietly become Asia’s best marketing tool. Countries that communicate transparently and humbly in crises tend to win trust faster and attract visitors sooner.
“Tourism isn’t just about selling beauty anymore,” says Beirman. “It’s about proving you can manage uncertainty.”
To that end, one chapter analyses the politics of government travel advisories, and another examines China’s Approved Destination Status (ADS) system, a diplomatic mechanism that shapes regional visitor flows.
The result is less a textbook than a regional mirror, reflecting how 18 nations are learning that reputation is the most delicate asset in tourism.
The Collaboration Code
In the background looms a broader story: Asia’s collective instinct to collaborate, even in competition. The editors devote sections to UN Tourism, ASEAN frameworks, and PATA’s role in cross-border crisis response. The release also coincides with PATA’s 75th anniversary in 2026, a milestone that underscores how regional cooperation remains Asia’s quiet advantage.
Wilks notes that the research phase was as collaborative as the subject itself. “Our contributors were spread across 18 countries,” he says. “What united them was a shared belief that tourism must be both inspirational and resilient.”
If that sounds lofty, the book quickly grounds it. From typhoon protocols in the Philippines to cybersecurity measures in Japan’s hotel systems, the stories show how preparedness has become part of the brand.
Lessons Etched in the Pandemic
COVID-19 hangs over the book like an uninvited but unavoidable guest. The editors argue that the pandemic forced destinations to rethink how they define “safe” not just in medical terms but also in terms of brand reputation.
“The destinations that emerged strongest,” Beirman observes, “were those that communicated clearly, aligned marketing with public health priorities, and kept their audiences informed. Transparency became the new luxury.”
In other words, post-pandemic Asia isn’t selling escapism; it’s trust in sales.
From Academia to the Front Line
What distinguishes Risk and Tourism Marketing in Asia from the average academic volume is its accessibility. Beirman and Wilks wanted something appealing to tourism students and industry professionals, a rarity in publishing circles, where one audience is usually sacrificed for another.
The result is a hybrid: evidence-based yet readable, practical yet thoughtful. It’s as comfortable discussing marketing theory as it is recounting how Laos reinvented its tourism messaging around authenticity rather than scale.
“Tourism in Asia has always been defined by creativity,” Beirman says. “But resilience that’s the new measure of success.”
Beyond the Ivory Tower
The book’s message extends beyond the academic sphere for the Business of Travel reader. It’s also a blueprint for the private sector, from airlines fine-tuning safety communications to resorts aligning brand values with climate resilience.
Wilks frames it neatly: “In today’s tourism economy, risk management is brand management. The two are no longer separate disciplines.”
That notion will resonate with anyone in the travel trade who has spent the past five years explaining to boardrooms why “business continuity” suddenly matters as much as “brand storytelling.”
The Final Word
The book’s closing chapter shows Asia’s ascent as the world’s most dynamic tourism region. It’s not boosterism; it’s observation. Despite economic, climatic, and political headwinds, Asia remains the industry’s reinvention laboratory.
And after twelve months of work, Beirman sums up the editors’ goal with his characteristic understatement: “We just wanted to produce something useful. Whether we’ve succeeded well, that’s for the readers to decide.”
Given the calibre of contributors and the quiet authority with which the subject is handled, the odds look comfortably in their favour.
Ordering Details
Risk and Tourism Marketing in Asia (Routledge, February 2026) is available for pre-order at routledge.com/risk-and-tourism-marketing-in-asia/Beirman-Wilks/p/book/9781032904870.
By Bridget Gomez – (c) 2025
Read time: 5 minutes
About the Author
Bridget has never been one to sit still. Of Portuguese heritage, she first trained as a nurse. She threw herself into work at the Commonwealth Veteran Affairs Repatriation Hospital, tending to old soldiers with stories almost as colourful as her own would become. It was rewarding, steady work — but wanderlust has a louder voice than routine.
So, she swapped starched uniforms for a backpack and set off on a twelve-month gallop around the globe. Along the way, she scribbled in journals, capturing the dust, the laughter, the odd missed train, and the occasional glass of wine too many. Those notebooks soon became a travel blog, her way of reliving and sharing the journeys with anyone willing to read.
Eventually, Bridget stumbled across Global Travel Media and, in her words, “the rest is history.” Now she writes with the same mix of heart and mischief that fuelled her travels.
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