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

“Robotic lockers and ozone-based water filtration systems.” Gary and Hannah examine recent travel and tourism developments across ASEAN, featuring stops in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Key topics include Brunei’s largest year-long tourism promotion planned for 2027 (previewed at Travel Meet Asia in Jakarta), mixed signals from airlines AirAsia and AirBornie regarding fares, Vietnam’s military involvement in ensuring Long Thanh International Airport opens before year’s end, Cambodia’s four-month visa-free policy for Chinese tourists, and Singapore’s new wellness megaproject that has begun construction.

This week’s special edition of the show was recorded live in front of a packed ballroom audience at the 2026 Travel + Leisure Luxury Summit Asia, at the Dusit Thani hotel in Bangkok. Gary and Hannah took to the stage for a three-part podcast. In part 1, we provide a short round-up of the travel and tourism year so far in South East Asia and beyond - and the outlook for the rest of 2026.

“The world has changed around Thailand since Covid, whereas Vietnam appears more in control of its destiny.” As we race toward the midpoint of 2026, it was another week with plenty of travel talking points in ASEAN and beyond. The week, Gary and Hannah visit Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and China to decipher the top takeaways. We begin in the Philippines with the latest reports from the devastating earthquake in Mindanao, and send our very best wishes to people across the nation for Philippine Independence Day.

As we accelerate towards the mid-point of 2026, the warning signs continuing showing up. On our Start the Weekend show, Gary and Hannah discuss new data analysis about the impacts of airline cuts in South East Asia - and what this might mean through October and beyond. And, then… El Niño is coming! The UN Meteorological Office has issued new details about the warming sea temperatures and shifting air currents we can expect from June onwards.