Ep 152: ASEAN's New Era of Travel Infrastructure, with James Clark, Future South East Asia

About This Episode

7 Oct 2022 • 35m50ss

What’s it like to ride the China-Laos train? Will Vietnam’s North-South Railway get built? When will the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail line open? And is a pan-ASEAN rail network a realistic possibility?

This week, Gary assesses the outlook for rail infrastructure development across the region with James Clark, Editor-in-Chief at Future South East Asia and author of the Nomadic Notes newsletter. We look at some of the big railway projects being planned, compare the rail network models in China and South East Asia and ponder what could be the impacts for domestic aviation.

James also discusses his recent travels in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam - and provides some interesting observations about air and rail travel in this unfolding new era.

Join us for a fascinating 30-minute trip with an inveterate digital nomad through South East Asia, taking in Hanoi, Vientiane, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Kampot en route.

The following articles are referenced in the podcast:

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
26 Jun 2025 • 40m18s

Ep 259: South East Asia's Top 10 Talking Points of 2025 So Far: Travel & Tourism in a New Era of Global Uncertainty

It’s been a pretty unsettling first half of 2025 on a geopolitical level, and the regional outcomes are creeping but still uncertain. Against this backdrop, South East Asian airports have remained busy - but structural and cyclical challenges for travel economies are emerging. So, what do the events of January-June tell us about the rest of 2025 and into 2026? This week, Gary and Hannah assess the 10 top takeaways in the year so far.
Play
20 Jun 2025 • 17m26s

Ep 258: Is an ASEAN Tourism Visa South East Asia's Most Pressing Travel Concern?

“Despite referencing the word ‘tourism’ 26 times in its new Vision 2045 plan, ASEAN remains uncomfortable discussing a regional tourism visa. This largely reflects its institutional limitations rather than a lack of ambition.” Over recent months, significant hype has surrounded the possibility of the 10 countries (soon 11) of South East Asia launching a shared visa for tourists. The context is that each country in the region wants to expand tourism to support economic development.