The Travel Industry Podcast for ASEAN and Asia Pacific...

“It’s a cliche to say that everything is in flux, and that there is a great deal of uncertainty across travel economies. But it’s true.” The US and Israel’s ongoing aerial bombardment of Iran and Lebanon - and the worsening unintended consequences of retaliatory strikes on energy assets and other installations across the Middle East - are raising crisis fears across Asian economies. Travel and tourism are once again in the cross-hairs, and it’s starting to feel like Covid 2.

“We don’t know when this war is going to end, but already we are seeing a great degree of uncertainty return to travel and tourism in South East Asia.” One week after the US and Israel began attacking Iran and Lebanon, what are the short-term outcomes for travel in the region - and what are the risks waiting up ahead? This week, Gary is in Seoul and he asks some of the structural questions the travel industry will be thinking about as a major economic shock looms.

“Vietnam’s international air market is the biggest story in South East Asia.” ASEAN’s breakout travel and tourism star leads the bullish projections about air travel, but structural issues in South East Asia’s biggest market, Indonesia, drag down the overall 2026 outlook. Longer-term, sustained growth is predicted, but where are the hotspots to watch, and which are the slow-motion markets? This week, Gary is joined by Singapore-based aviation consultant Brendan Sobie to dissect the travel outlook from the skies above ASEAN.

From hotels on petrol (gas) station forecourts in Thailand to Singapore’s ingenious tourism match-making scheme… On our fast-paced Start The Week show, Gary and Hannah stop over in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and India in search of the answers to travel’s big questions. We begin by discussing ASEAN representation on the Gaza Board of Peace, aircraft orders tied to tariff negotiations and whether the Indonesia-US trade deals still stands.