Ep 186: The Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in August 2023

Listen to this episode

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Google

Podbean

View All Episodes

About This Episode

28 Aug 2023 • 32m12s

From 4.4 million to 15.4 million. Thailand is way out in front in South East Asia for year-to-date visitors in 2023 vs 2022. Two-thirds through 2023, Gary and Hannah look back to compare the progress for visitor arrivals in 7 ASEAN nations.

We also discuss 8 other key talking points from August, as the summer holiday season subsides and the region prepares for the Chinese Golden Week in October. En route, we discuss new developments in ASEAN’s cross-border payments programme, and assess the outlook in Thailand as a new Prime Minister vows to prioritise tourism.

We question why visa challenges still endure in some countries long after the region reopened for travel. Plus, will Japan’s new LCC create more travel to or from Thailand when it launches its first route to Bangkok in early 2024? Finally, we ask how Bhutan’s halving of its Sustainable Development Fee for visitors could impact tourism pricing in South East Asia.

Is there a breakpoint whereby tourists say “No, we are not prepared to pay that” for sustainable travel experiences?

« Next Episode Ep 187: Behind the Scenes of Australia’s Tourism Transformation Plan, with Samantha Palmer, AusTrade Previous Episode » Ep 185: Celebrating South East Asian Cuisines & Food Cultures with the Kita Food Festival

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play

11 Jul 2024 • 29m52s

Ep 221: Reflections on the 1st UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia Pacific in Cebu, the Philippines

The symbiosis of food and tourism is not a new topic, but the contexts are changing. Across ASEAN and Asia Pacific, fast-moving trends in food tourism are driven by social media videos and tasting tests and a raft of culinary awards, guides, ratings and reviews. Beyond changing traveller appetites, vital issues - such as climate impact, resource allocation, automated farming techniques, and fair pricing for food producers - are gaining urgency.

Play

4 Jul 2024 • 30m12s

Ep 220: Bangkok-Vientiane by Train, KL-Nairobi by Plane & Gastronomy Tourism in Cebu: June 2024 in Review

So, we’ve passed a significant threshold. The first half of 2024 is completed – and an unseemly scramble will now occur to try and match – or get very close to – 2019 travel metrics across the region. In this context of competition, it’s time to round up the top 8 travel talking points from June – and what an action-packed month it proved to be. This week, Gary and Hannah travel around ASEAN, with stopovers in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos and Myanmar, plus China and – better believe it – Kenya.

Ep 186: The Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in August 2023

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 221: Reflections on the 1st UN Tourism Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia Pacific in Cebu, the Philippines

Ep 220: Bangkok-Vientiane by Train, KL-Nairobi by Plane & Gastronomy Tourism in Cebu: June 2024 in Review

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman