MACAU — The travel industry's overtourism debate has long fixated on raw visitor numbers. Ethan Lin, co-founder of Asia-based travel platform Klook, pushed back on that framing at the Fortune Leaders Forum in Macau on Sept. 8.
'Overtourism is a concentration problem, not a volume problem,' Lin said, arguing that the real issue is too many tourists funneling into the same small cluster of destinations — Kyoto, Bali and their peers — rather than spreading demand across everything a country has to offer.
The data behind his argument is notable. In Klook's Travel Pulse survey of Gen Z and millennial travelers across Asia, 57% said they had used AI to find new destinations or experiences. Lin credited the technology with diversifying 'traffic into different and lesser-known destinations.'
Mastercard's chief APAC economist, David Mann, reinforced the point from a payments-data angle. Speaking on a separate panel at the same forum, Mann said company data shows that consumers who pay for AI subscriptions are more likely to visit off-the-beaten-path locations. 'People are looking to discover more places, more hidden gems, and plenty of places they've never tried before,' he said, adding that AI 'can really help them to find that even more effectively.'
Experience economy drives premium spend
Beyond destination discovery, the broader travel market is being reshaped by what Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com, called the 'three Ps': premium, purposeful, and pro-leisure travel. The most expensive package Trip.com has ever offered — a $200,000-per-person tour — sold out in 17 seconds, Sun said.
Event-driven travel is equally robust. Sun noted that tickets for concerts by artists such as G-Dragon, Blackpink and Jay Chou, as well as NBA games and F1 races, 'sold out almost instantly' on the platform.
Hospitality operators are responding in kind. Ken Chan, founder of Singapore-based Patience Capital Group — which owns Myoko Suginohara Ski Resort in Japan — described a two-season collaboration with American snowboarder Travis Rice to film backcountry skiing content at the resort, explicitly designed to convert viewers into visitors.
In Macau itself, integrated resorts are engineering their own experience anchors to reduce dependence on gaming, dining and shopping. SJM Resorts hosts the Macao Open golf tournament; Melco-owned City of Dreams stages 'House of Dancing Water,' an aquatic aerial-acrobatics show. 'They come for the golf, but they'll stay for the dining, the hotel, and the holistic experience,' said Gerard Walker, SJM's chief hospitality officer.
The 'workcation' trend is adding another layer of demand. Lin noted that travelers who combine remote work with leisure tend to spend more than they would at home. 'When they travel, they have to spend more,' he said.
CEO Times take: The market has already voted. When a $200,000 travel package clears in 17 seconds and AI subscriptions measurably shift consumer behavior toward undiscovered destinations, the case for government-imposed tourist taxes or visa restrictions looks weaker by the data point. Free enterprise — platforms, technology, private capital — is solving the concentration problem faster than any bureaucratic quota could. The lesson for policymakers is familiar: clear rules, open markets, and private innovation outperform administrative caps every time.
