Hey everyone! I'm back for some more analysis
I want to talk about a specific region of the world that the Race often visits - East Asia (for clarification, my definition of East Asia includes China, Japan, North & South Korea and Taiwan).
This region of the world is visited frequently. In fact, East Asia has only been skipped a sum total of seven times - it was skipped in Seasons 3, 5, 7, 13, 22, 25 & 32. Especially since it was skipped last season, I think it's definitely up for another visit this time around. However, there are a few things I would like to point out.
Because the United States is currently having some strained relations with Mainland China, I don't think it will be visited. Granted, just because the governments are having some issues doesn't necessarily mean that tourism and such would be affected. That being said, I will be surprised if the Mainland is visited.
Also, there are some protests in Hong Kong right now. I know there is a general consensus of an October/November visit, so conditions could clear up by then. If I was production though (which I'm not), I wouldn't risk it. Again, I would be surprised if Hong Kong was visited. Plus, it was just visited in Seasons 27 and 30.
I'm also skeptical of a visit to Japan, but much less so than China. In past seasons, Japan has, for the most part, followed a very nice pattern of being visited every three seasons: Seasons 9, 12, 15, and 18 had Japan, and then again in 20, 23, and 26. I'm actually a little surprised they waited five whole seasons between 26 and 31 for another visit. I know this is a reach, but a visit in 33 would go against the pattern. I do concede that a visit to Japan is much more likely than China. However, I would at least hope that they go to another city besides Tokyo. I would be quite pleased with a first time visit to Kyoto or a return to Osaka.
That being said, I think the most likely candidates are Taiwan and South Korea. Taipei and Seoul are quite capable of hosting legs again, but perhaps we could see new visits to cities like Kaohsiung, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju or Jeju. If I could add a personal note with a touch of analysis, I would also not rule out an exclusive visit to Macau. The only full Macau leg was Season 11, and if you ask me it was not a memorable one. Perhaps we could take a lesson from the Canadian and Australian legs.
Thanks for reading! I know it was long, but hopefully thought out and analyzed well! Let me know your opinions on a visit to East Asia!