Ep 165: The China v India Inbound Battle Heats Up in South East Asia

With China finally back in the game, tourism boards and the media across South East Asia are starting to compare inbound arrivals from China and India. It’s still very early days, of course, but what have we learned so far?

How are tourism boards dividing their marketing dollars to attract visitors from the region’s two largest countries? And which country will allow Chinese tourists to pay in RMB?

Also this week, Gary and Hannah discuss the new THB300 Tourism Fee in Thailand, a visa-on-arrival controversy in Malaysia, cruise ambitions in the Philippines and Vietnam’s plastic trash calculations which compare the waste discarded by inbound and domestic tourists.

Plus, we get rather excited about Air Japan, ANA’s new low-cost carrier due launch in 2023 which intends to “capture inbound demand from overseas by launching flights to major cities in South East Asia.” We are watching the website already!