Introducing The SEA Travel News Show

Introducing The SEA Travel News Show
Blog Published on 23 Nov 2021

Have you listened to our new weekly show, The SEA Travel News Show yet?

Launched in October 2021, The SEA Travel News Show airs every Friday. Each edition is a snappy mix of news, updates and interviews to keep you up to speed with travel developments in South East Asia.

Here are brief details of the first three episodes of the show:

#1 - Two Months to Rescue Travel & Tourism in 2021

Features the hottest updates from Thailand, Bali, Singapore and Australia. Gary and Hannah chat through the potential outlook for travel and tourism for the rest of 2021 - and into 2022. Phnom Penh-based Nick Ray, Founder of Hanuman Films and long-time Lonely Planet writer, dials in from the World Travel Market in London to tell us about the South East Asian presence at the show. And we finish in the Maldives, which recently received its 1 millionth visitor in 2021.

#2 - The SEA Travel News Show: An Extraordinary Week of Travel Announcements in Malaysia

Features analysis of the freshest travel talking points in Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar. Travel journalist Vincent Vichit-Vadakan dials in from Bangkok to discuss the latest on Thailand’s reopening, and provides advance information about a South East Asia travel webinar with an all-star cast to be hosted by Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Thailand. Plus, clips from Gary and Hannah’s guest appearance on the OAG Webinar: South East Asia - Rebuilding International Growth. And we finish in Langkawi where travel filmmaker Kamila Delart discusses how travel film and video content is evolving.

#3 - The SEA Travel News Show: Cambodia Opens to the World

Cambodia surprised South East Asia by announcing quarantine-free entry would apply for vaccinated travellers from every country worldwide. Plus the latest travel news from Vietnam and Singapore. Aviation analyst Shukor Yusof provides expert insights on the outlook for airlines and travellers in Singapore and Malaysia. And we finish in Bangkok, where restaurateur Jarrett Wrisley speaks about the damage done to Bangkok’s dining scene during the pandemic, and looks back to its halcyon days before COVID-19 took hold.

View All Blog Posts

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
20 Apr 2026 • 21m12s

Ep 299: Vietnam's Travel Transformation Accelerates, Chocolate Hills Under Threat in the Philippines & What is the Value of Heritage in Singapore?: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

On this week’s kickstarter show, Gary and Hannah explore travel and tourism issues across Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. Key topics include Vietnam’s reshaping of its travel landscape through MOUs signed by President To Lam with China for railway development and aircraft procurement, Malaysia’s ongoing KLIA baggage system issues, and Singapore Airlines’ resilience amid Q1 challenges. The episode also covers environmental threats to Indonesia’s Komodo National Park and the Philippines’ Chocolate Hills, before examining heritage preservation in Singapore’s travel industry amid rising costs, demographic shifts, and waning younger generation interest in maintaining traditional immigrant-founded businesses.
Play
13 Apr 2026 • 21m50s

Ep 298: The Philippines' Gloomy Tourism Year Gets Worse, Travel Insurance Mandate in Thailand & Grab's AI Travel Play: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

On this week’s kickstarter show, Gary and Hannah explore travel and tourism issues across Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Key topics include Malaysia potentially extending its Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign into 2027 amid Middle East economic impacts, declining arrivals in Boracay worsening the Philippines’ tourism prospects, and Thailand considering mandatory travel insurance for visitors. The episode also covers Grab’s expansion into AI-powered travel services focusing on hotel bookings, local dining, and cross-border e-payments, along with Garuda Indonesia’s substantial 2025 financial losses and new Tourism Ministers appointed in Thailand and the Philippines.