As South East Asian nations complete a second uninterrupted year of tourism since reopening, 2025 is viewed as a time to push on from recovery to growth. But staying in the here and now, Gary and Hannah travel around ASEAN to rewind the top talking points from October. Stopovers include Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos… plus India and wintertime China. En route, we reflect on the highlights from ITB Asia in Singapore, place the media hype about self-drive...

Asia is Back! After playing catch-up since 2022, Asia is once again central to conversations about the future of global tourism. We are in the middle of the Fall conference season, and Asian travel themes are taking centre stage. And the content and tone has changed notably since 2019. So, this week, Gary and Hannah - who are speaking at and attending various events across Asia and beyond - run down this season's Top 10 Travel & Tourism Conference Topics. In a packed show, we discuss the...

China's October National Day public holiday is the third 'Golden Week' of the year. In 2024, it just wrapped up amid a global sense that Chinese outbound tourism is definitively back. Twenty-one months after China reopened for travel, destinations across South East Asia, Asia Pacific and worldwide enjoyed their most optimistic Golden Week since the corresponding period way back in 2019. To discuss the top takeaways, Gary is joined by Sienna Parulis-Cook, Director of Marketing &...

This week, China's October Golden Week kickstarts Q4 of 2024 and the path toward South East Asia completing a 5-year Covid cycle. So, it's the perfect time to assess the top 8 talking points from the 9th month of the year. We begin in Thailand with the issues around the proposed introduction of Electronic Travel Authorisation, while Royal Assent for the Marriage Equality Bill makes it the third Asian jurisdiction to legalise same-sex unions. Elsewhere, AirAsia grabbed headlines throughout...

"How do you know your tourism activity's overall impact is beneficial to a community if you aren't measuring it?" This week, Gary and Hannah discuss economic leakages and quantifying the impacts on local communities of tour operations with Ewan Cluckie, Founder of Thailand-based Tripseed. Socio-economic sustainability in tourism is an under-scrutinised topic, but Tripseed is confronting it head-on. The company recently published phase 1 of its deeply researched Economic Distribution...

"The pieces of South East Asia's post-pandemic tourism jigsaw are still being put into place". Regional travel and tourism trends continue to be impacted by the Covid era, both from a supply and demand perspective. So, as we march full steam into the final third of 2024, what were the Top 8 talking points in August 2024? On our monthly roundup, we discuss the fallout from Malaysia Airlines' decision to cut almost one-fifth of its capacity, assess the airline volumes into the region from China...

"The Muslim friendly tourism and hospitality eco-system will be the next big thing in global tourism." Muslim tourism is forecast to be valued at USD225 billion worldwide by 2030, with ASEAN and Asia Pacific at the centre of future growth. To discuss the challenges and opportunities up ahead for the travel industry, Gary and Hannah welcome Nizran Noordin, Director General of the Islamic Tourism Centre, which is based in Malaysia. We discuss the efforts being made to support and promote the...

We are almost two-thirds through 2024. This year, more than ever, South East Asia's travel and tourism recovery and regrowth is being assessed through the lens of data and statistics. But quantifying every aspect of tourism obfuscates the dynamic political, economic, societal, technological and environmental factors behind those numbers. So, this week Gary and Hannah ask and answer 8 critical questions about the direction of regional travel in 2024, and beyond – without referencing data. Can...

Land-locked Laos is a beautiful part of South East Asia, where tourism is coming back to life despite tough economic times. Overland travel is a dynamic driver, following the launch in 2023 of the cross-border China-Laos railway, and - last month - a new train link between Bangkok and Vientiane. To navigate Laos's changing travel landscape, Gary is joined by Jason Rolan, Tourism Specialist and Senior Partner at RDK Group, and Benny Kong, Co-Founder of Discover Laos Today. In a broad-ranging...

July is a busy season. Chinese summer holiday tourists returned to the region in large numbers, while destinations across ASEAN implemented various measures to boost their full-year tourism arrivals. And we had some extreme weather events as well. So, what were the Top 8 travel and tourism talking points in July? In our monthly round-up, Gary and Hannah travel around ASEAN, with stopovers in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, plus China and India. En route, we discuss TikTok's...

SAF. Future Fuels. Hydrogen. Electric. Hybrid. Aviation contributes approx 2-3% of global CO2 emissions, with the majority being from aircraft movements. But how bad could it get? And what steps are being taken - and how quickly - by governments, regulators, airlines, aircraft manufacturers and airports to reduce emissions at scale? To address these big issues, Gary welcomes back to the show Shantanu Gangakedkhar, Senior Consultant, Aerospace & Defense, at Frost & Sullivan. Shantanu...

The symbiosis of food and tourism is not a new topic, but the contexts are changing. Across ASEAN and Asia Pacific, fast-moving trends in food tourism are driven by social media videos and tasting tests and a raft of culinary awards, guides, ratings and reviews. Beyond changing traveller appetites, vital issues - such as climate impact, resource allocation, automated farming techniques, and fair pricing for food producers - are gaining urgency. This week, Gary is joined by Jens Thraenhart,...

So, we’ve passed a significant threshold. The first half of 2024 is completed – and an unseemly scramble will now occur to try and match – or get very close to – 2019 travel metrics across the region. In this context of competition, it’s time to round up the top 8 travel talking points from June – and what an action-packed month it proved to be. This week, Gary and Hannah travel around ASEAN, with stopovers in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar, plus China and –...

The 'Dubai of ASEAN'. China's Mega-Percentages. The 'Next Taylor Swift' Event. Tourism in an Ageing Region. At the end of the first half of 2024, Gary and Hannah look back at the 10 most consequential travel takeaways in South East Asia and beyond. En route, we discuss political leadership change in three key markets, a proliferation of proposed tourism fees and the expansion of 'digital identity' in airports. Plus, we dive into Singapore's Vision 2040 and Vietnam's visitor forecasts through...

This week, Thailand confirmed it IS targeting 40 million arrivals in 2024. Achieving this goal would set an annual record for Thailand and - crucially - surpass the 39.9 million visitors in 2019. It would be a stellar achievement. So, it's the perfect time to assess the year so far in Thai tourism - and look ahead - with Bangkok-based travel journalist Vincent Vichit-Vadakan. We discuss Thailand's visa liberalisation measures in recent months, and its highly anticipated Soft Power Conference...

"The narrative is changing. We're not talking about the pace of hotel rate growth anymore." Stability and volatility may sound contradictory, but both terms help to explain hotel performance in South East Asian markets and China so far in 2024. To delve deeper into the evolving travel, tourism and geo-economic factors influencing the hotel industry, Gary and Hannah welcome Jesper Palmqvist, Senior Director, Asia Pacific, at STR CoStar, back to the show. In a broad-ranging interview, Jesper...

"From Battambang to Taking the Stage in New York, Sydney & Montreal" to "Say versus Do in Sustainable Tourism" and "Backwards Steps in Domestic Tourism in ASEAN". Welcome to the third edition of our monthly mini-round-up of the key moments from recent podcast discussions and interviews. During May, Craig Dodge, Senior Director of Sales & Marketing at Phare, discusses the compelling journey of Cambodia's arts circus from a wartime refugee camp in Battambang to a theatre stage tour...

We’re steaming through 2024, with 5 months already completed, and attracting tourists is becoming intensely competitive. This week, Gary and Hannah review South East Asia's top 8 travel and tourism stories during May. This month's round-up takes us to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, the Philippines, China and India. En route we discuss "sudden, extreme turbulence" on a Singapore Airlines flight, Vietnam surpasses 2019 visitor arrivals so far in 2024, a pending takeover of Malaysia...

With a 5.0 TripAdvisor rating, Phare, the Cambodian Circus based in Siem Reap, must be doing something right.  We speak to Craig Dodge, their Senior Director of Sales and Marketing, about the journey this social enterprise has taken from humble beginnings in Battambang to shows in New York City. Along the way, we talk Cambodia's tourism recovery and the pull between positioning it as a mono destination vs part of a multi-country Southeast Asian itinerary. Lastly, we finish off with why Craig...

As we speed towards the mid-point of 2024, it's time to revisit our annual top 10 list of travel wishes and expectations, which we created in January. How have our predictions measured up so far this year? En route, we assess whether travel visa waivers have become a competitive battleground in South East Asia, and look at evolving patterns in the Public Holiday vs Weekend vs Weekday travel economies. Plus, are we seeing any progress to bridge the Say-Do gap in sustainable travel activity,...

From "Everyone wants to go to Japan" to "Thailand's on the verge of over-tourism" to "Three towers with a surf board on top". Welcome to our new monthly mini-roundup of the key moments from recent podcast discussions and interviews. During April, Philip See, Group Chief Sustainability Officer & CEO of Loyalty and Travel Solutions of the Malaysia Aviation Group, discusses the sustainable aviation challenges and opportunities in South East Asia. Plus, we head to Japan to break down the...

“Whatever happened to ‘Quality Tourism’?” As we complete one-third of 2024, what were the top 8 travel talking points in April? Gary and Hannah journey across the region, with stops in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Dubai. We analyse the increase in Chinese arrivals to ASEAN & Asia Pacific in Q1, and preview the May Labour Day holiday. We review travel volumes during the Songkran, Eid/Lebaran and Khmer New Year travel periods. Plus, a Thai tourism leader calls for a...

Travel and tourism in South East Asia are heavily stat-driven. Indeed, 2024 is turning out to be a year of shouting loudly about milestones and 2019 catch-ups across the region. So, this week, Hannah and Gary assess 8 hot numerical topics, taking us to Singapore, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Japan. En route, we deconstruct the 2023 total of 100 million arrivals to South East Asia, and analyse the Q1 figures in key markets. Thailand is out front in ASEAN, while...

As sustainability targets in aviation gain sharper focus, airlines and governments in South East Asia are racing to implement strategies. These range from sustainable aviation fuel levies to in-house trainings. With news this week that Malaysia plans to implement a carbon levy, Hannah picks the perfect time to discuss a broad range of issues with Philip See, Group Chief Sustainability Officer & CEO of Loyalty and Travel Solutions, of the Malaysia Aviation Group. This compelling chat takes...