Ep 163: Sustainable Travel Tracking in Vietnam & AI in Tourism, with Stuart McDonald, Travelfish

About This Episode

9 Feb 2023 • 32m29s

“It just doesn’t feel like a living Vietnamese town.” Environmental impact, carbon emissions and artificial intelligence (AI) are three of the hottest topics in tourism. Today Gary & Hannah welcome back Bali-based Stuart McDonald, Founder of Travelfish, to take on these vital talking points.

Stuart recently travelled through Vietnam, where he tracked his carbon footprint using the Capture and Pathnet Zero apps. He discusses his findings and observations while travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi by train.

Stuart also discusses the contrasting challenges (and current outcomes) for tourism in Hoi An and Hue. Taking a tangential turn, we chat about AI chatbots in tourism, and the building of AI-generated content into travel products and information services.

Rounding out the discussion, we address a phantom train in Cambodia (which tops the search rankings) and diving in Raja Ampat in Indonesia.

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

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.
Play
10 Apr 2026 • 14m33s

Ep 297: How Have 6 Weeks of War Changed ASEAN's Travel Economies?: Start the Weekend with The South East Asia Travel Show

“Could South East Asia’s travel landscape look different in 12-18 months time?” The episode explores how Middle East conflict affects the region’s travel sector. Key topics include: The region’s dependence on imported oil, LNG, jet fuel, petrochemicals, and fertilizers Rising fuel costs and electricity supply challenges Government energy-conservation measures and work-from-home policies Food price inflation impacts Jet fuel scarcity effects on travel and tourism operations Hosts Gary and Hannah examine broader war-related economic consequences across Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific, comparing these disruptions to the COVID-19 pandemic’s travel impacts and discussing potential long-term shifts in the industry.