Ep 156: This Week’s 8 Top Travel Talking Points in South East Asia

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25 Nov 2022 • 32m10s

The G20 Summit. A proposed aerotropolis. Resolution of a long-running passport saga. A new direct flight service with Canada. It’s been another busy period for travel news as the region’s recovery gains traction.

This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the top 8 travel and tourism developments from across South East Asia. The journey takes us to 8 of the 10 countries of ASEAN, plus Japan, China, India and Taiwan.

So, which country expects 60 million domestic travellers over Christmas and New Year?

Where is forecasting 2 million annual inbound visitors in 2022 rising to 7.5 million in 2028?

Which nation was among the top 4 visitor markets to Japan in October?

And which government finally removed testing requirements for unvaccinated visitors? All this, and much more…

« Next Episode Ep 157: Transitioning From 2022 to 2023: The State of South East Asia’s Travel Recovery Previous Episode » Ep 155: South East Asia Starts to Reopen for Travel - One Year On!

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11 Sep 2026 • 32m04s

Ep 317: Vietnam's Golden Tourism Year Continues, Thailand Revises its Visa Rules for Travellers & AirAsia Tests New Routes into Europe

So, we’re just three weeks away from that all important fourth quarter of the year - and it’s a hectic time across the travel landscape, with plenty of talking points to deconstruct. This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the air travel impacts of a major volcanic eruption (with a familiar name) in Indonesia and a State of Emergency in Malaysia caused by wild fire “haze”. Plus, we look at how Russian, Chinese and South Korean tourists are fuelling Vietnam’s dynamic inbound surge, while Cambodia counts the cost of a dismal year for international arrivals.

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21 Aug 2026 • 35m46s

Ep 316: Thailand's Tourism Tax is Back, Vietnam Targets 50 Million Visitors & Russia Entices South East Asian Tourists

“Tourists are now viewed as a source of taxation revenue. It’s increasingly hard to raise taxes on your own citizens, but if you have 30+ million tourists each year, that’s a lot of potential tax you can raise.” This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the multiple challenges Thailand faces in increasing its proposed tourism tax, from THB300 to THB450 - and collecting it. Meanwhile, Vietnam’s stellar tourism run continues with a raft of upcoming initiatives and an eye-watering new inbound tourism target.

Ep 156: This Week’s 8 Top Travel Talking Points in South East Asia

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 317: Vietnam's Golden Tourism Year Continues, Thailand Revises its Visa Rules for Travellers & AirAsia Tests New Routes into Europe

Ep 316: Thailand's Tourism Tax is Back, Vietnam Targets 50 Million Visitors & Russia Entices South East Asian Tourists

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman