Hannah Pearson: Travel, Startups and Building a Business Through Crisis and Consistency
Episode Description
In this episode of Tourism Matters, I’m joined by Hannah Pearson, founder of Pear Anderson and co-host of the Southeast Asia Travel Show.
Hannah’s career has taken her from studying languages at Oxford to teaching in France and China, corporate London, Kuala Lumpur, travel startups, market representation and founding Pear Anderson, a tourism sales, marketing and market intelligence business focused on Southeast Asia.
We talk about winding tourism careers, unexpected opportunities, building a business in travel, and how Hannah’s weekly Southeast Asia travel report became a trusted industry resource during COVID.
We also discuss workforce challenges, including the disconnect between education and industry, the need for better training, and why passion matters but cannot replace fair pay, support and development.
What you will takeaway...
Tourism careers rarely follow a straight line
Sales in tourism is really about relationships and market fit
Consistency can build serious credibility over time
Education, industry and young professionals are often disconnected
Passion matters, but it cannot be used as an excuse for burnout
About Hannah Pearson
Hannah Pearson is the founder of Pear Anderson, a tourism sales, marketing and market intelligence company focused on Southeast Asia.
Originally from the UK, Hannah studied French and Classics at Oxford before working across China, Malaysia, outbound travel, B2B sales, travel tech, market representation and tourism research.
She is also co-host of the Southeast Asia Travel Show.
Organisations Referenced
Pear Anderson – https://www.pearanderson.com
Report: The Evolving Tourism Workforce: Human Capital Development in APAC – https://www.pata.org/research-q1v63g6n2dw/p/human-capital-development-in-apac
Southeast Asia Travel Show – https://www.theseasiatravelshow.com/
PATA – https://www.pata.org
VisitBritain – https://www.visitbritain.org
GoQuo – https://www.goquo.com
University of Oxford – https://www.ox.ac.uk
Episode Chapters
00:00 – Introduction to Hannah Pearson
02:57 – Hannah’s early life, travel and love of languages
05:48 – Studying at Oxford and spending a year in France
08:42 – Teaching in China and travelling home via the Trans-Siberian Railway
11:24 – Returning to the UK and starting corporate life
14:14 – Moving to Malaysia and entering the travel industry
16:58 – Building an outbound travel team in Kuala Lumpur
19:51 – Sales, representation and building networks across Southeast Asia
22:33 – Cultural awareness and market differences in Southeast Asian travel
24:01 – Navigating language, culture and practical challenges on the road
26:15 – Moving into the travel startup world
28:01 – Learning travel tech, dynamic packaging and airline partnerships
29:17 – The reality of entrepreneurship in tourism
31:19 – Launching Pear Anderson and choosing independence
34:00 – How COVID reshaped the business
36:31 – Creating a weekly Southeast Asia travel intelligence resource
38:04 – Growing Pear Anderson and building industry influence
40:31 – Workforce challenges, education and industry disconnects
46:21 – Passion, wages and retaining people in tourism
50:24 – Hannah’s final reflections