David Bockino spoke with program host Kai Ryssdal, detailing the assistant professor’s travels and experiences in Myanmar as well as the Southeast Asian nation’s rise as a top tourist destination.
The four-minute radio segment, titled “What lies ahead as Myanmar comes out of isolation,” aired on Sept. 12. The interview is available online here.
“As someone who studies media on a daily basis, I’ve always appreciated how ‘Marketplace’ is able to cover such a wide variety of topics – from the presidential election and interest rates to the history of flip-flops and pumpkin spice lattes – in such a short window,” said Bockino. “So I was thrilled to get the chance to talk to them about the rise of Myanmar, a topic I believe is both interesting and relevant.”
In summer 2015, Bockino spent two and a half weeks in the Southeast Asian country, interacting with locals, artists, tour guides and traveling businessmen. Bockino’s travels, supplemented by extensive research, later served as the basis of his 2016 Kindle Single e-book, titled “Greetings from Myanmar.” The text examines the country’s rapid transition from a half-century of military rule to one of the world’s most attractive tourist destinations. This seismic shift, punctuated this spring by the presidential appointment of Htin Kyaw, has led to a significant increase in tourists.
In addition to his “Marketplace” appearance, Bockino was featured in a July 2016 article in The Myanmar Times.
An avid traveler, Bockino published his first book, titled “The Guidebook Experiment: Discovering Exploration in a Hyper-Connected World,” in 2015. The book explores how the proliferation of guidebook material has fundamentally altered the nature of travel.
“Marketplace” programs are currently broadcast by nearly 800 public radio stations nationwide and are heard by more than 12 million weekly listeners. The programs are produced and distributed by American Public Media (APM), in association with the University of Southern California.