The South East Asia Travel Show

It’s January. This should be peak season for travel across South East Asia. But 2022 is not starting as a ‘normal’ year. Instead, as we prepare for a third year of living with COVID-19, the impending spread of Omicron dominates the economic and social discourse across the region. Shards of light for travel and tourism glistened briefly back in November 2021, but most borders are once again closed or heavily patrolled.

Play

13 Dec 2021 • 38m00s

Ep 114: 2021 in Review: The Good, The Bad & The Delta Variant

This time last year, our 2020 in Review show described it as “12 months that no-one will ever forget.” We could say exactly the same for 2021. Long periods of lockdown throughout South East Asia, stop-start domestic travel, governments moving forwards and backwards and strict border policies in place. There were a few bright spots, but not as many as hoped for, or perhaps expected. So, for the 2021 in Review show Gary and Hannah created a list of 10 events and developments that will always remind us of this year, plus 4 more that bubbled just beneath.

Play

10 Dec 2021 • 25m00s

Ep 113: What’s it Like to Fly From ASEAN to Australia During the Pandemic?

As the world awaits definitive scientific conclusions about the transmissibility and viral impact of Omicron, travel developments in South East Asia have been few and far between. Governments continue to be cautious and defensive. On today’s show, we’ve got the latest updates from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, where a “will it, won’t it?” drama is playing out regarding the phased reopening for international flights. So what is it like to travel from South East Asia to Australia during a time of such uncertainty and administrative overload?

Play

3 Dec 2021 • 18m00s

Ep 112: The SEA Travel News Show: South East Asia Retreats From Travel (Again!)

This was the week that Omicron caused the return of flight bans, quarantines and an overall retreat from travel across South East Asia. It now appears that Singapore has recorded the region’s first cases. On today’s show, we’ve got the latest updates from the Philippines and Indonesia, as they turn away from travel reopenings. More optimistically, the first US-Vietnam direct commercial flights by a Vietnamese carrier landed this week. The pandemic has disrupted every aspect of travel and tourism over nearly two years, including the work of NGOs.