Ep 162: The Top 10 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in January 2023

Listen to this episode
Listen on Apple Podcasts Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify Spotify
Listen on Google Google
Listen on Podbean Podbean
View All Episodes

About This Episode

2 Feb 2023 • 30m06s

2023 is a vital year for travel and tourism in South East Asia and Asia Pacific. January was a fascinating kick-start month for the region’s visitor economies. China reopened its airport gates, albeit gradually, the Lunar New Year launched the domestic and outbound travel calendar and tourism boards set out their (initial) 2023 visitor forecasts.

On today’s show, Gary and Hannah review January’s Top 10 travel talking points and discuss what they could mean for the 12 months ahead. The journey takes us to 9 countries around the region.

En route, we assess the return of Chinese tour groups to 7 ASEAN countries, discuss airport capacity in Vietnam and Thailand and address an administrative bottleneck for the Laos-China train.

Plus we talk sales tax refunds in Philippines, tourism villages in Indonesia, sky-high hotel rates in Singapore and two Malaysian Prime Ministers challenged in the courts over an aborted high-speed rail project. Phew!

« Next Episode Ep 163: Sustainable Travel Tracking in Vietnam & AI in Tourism, with Stuart McDonald, Travelfish Previous Episode » Ep 161: Ethics, Sustainability & Accessibility in Tour Operations, with Ewan Cluckie, Tripseed
View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
13 Mar 2026 • 33m52s

Ep 290: The Economic Impacts of War in the Middle East for Travel & Tourism Across South East Asia
“It’s a cliche to say that everything is in flux, and that there is a great deal of uncertainty across travel economies. But it’s true.” The US and Israel’s ongoing aerial bombardment of Iran and Lebanon - and the worsening unintended consequences of retaliatory strikes on energy assets and other installations across the Middle East - are raising crisis fears across Asian economies. Travel and tourism are once again in the cross-hairs, and it’s starting to feel like Covid 2.
Play
7 Mar 2026 • 16m26s

Ep 289: War in Iran & Lebanon Raises New Questions for South East Asian Travel Economies: Pre-Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show
“We don’t know when this war is going to end, but already we are seeing a great degree of uncertainty return to travel and tourism in South East Asia.” One week after the US and Israel began attacking Iran and Lebanon, what are the short-term outcomes for travel in the region - and what are the risks waiting up ahead? This week, Gary is in Seoul and he asks some of the structural questions the travel industry will be thinking about as a major economic shock looms.

🎙️ About The Creators 🎧

Hannah Pearson

Hannah Pearson

Asia travel analyst and speaker. Director of Pear Anderson, a research & sales travel consultancy specialising in SEA and Muslim travel. Read more »

Gary Bowerman

Gary Bowerman

Asia travel analyst and speaker. Co-founder and director of Check-in Asia, a travel content, marketing and market research agency. Read more »

We'd love to hear from our listeners, so please send us your comments, feedback and questions! And, if you’re interested in being a guest, drop us a note at hello@theseasiatravelshow.com

đź’» Linkedin Twitter Instagram Facebook
đź“» Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Pocketcasts Listen on Podbean RSS
Copyright © 2020 The South East Asia Travel Show | Privacy Policy