Ep 180: SuperApps Scale Up to Sell More South East Asian Travel, with Brett Henry, MG Group

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

27 Jun 2023 • 37m29s

What is a SuperApp, and why should the travel industry care about them?

There are numerous reasons to care, as Gary and Hannah discuss this week with Jakarta-based Brett Henry, President & Director of MG Group. Brett guides us through a research-based definition of SuperApp characteristics, and explains the opportunities and challenges they provide for brands and travellers.

En route, we discuss a bunch of SuperApps in ASEAN, including GoTo, Grab, WeChat, Meituan and Shopee. We also touch on AirAsia’s SuperApp progress and ask “Is TikTok the next SuperApp in South East Asia?” (Spoiler alert: Absolutely). Plus, we discuss the hyper-localisation in each market to meet changing consumer needs, the region’s complex e-payments landscape and the economics of distributing travel through SuperApps.

And, where do home-grown SuperApps go in future? Will they develop their own travel inventories and further monetise their tourism presence? And is there an accelerating urgency for travel sellers to become engaged participants in SupeApp platforms?

« Next Episode Ep 181: The Top 10 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in the First Half of 2023 Previous Episode » Ep 179: The Shifting Outlook for Airports in South East Asia, with Shantanu Gangakhedkar, Frost & Sullivan

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

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.

Play

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 180: SuperApps Scale Up to Sell More South East Asian Travel, with Brett Henry, MG Group

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