Ep 192: The Top 8 Under-the-Radar Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia

About This Episode

9 Nov 2023 β€’ 26m36s

Could Brunei become a regional aviation hub connecting China and South East Asia? And how might AI, humanoid simulants and an apocalyptic sci-fi landscape boost movie tourism in Thailand?

This week, Gary and Hannah have created a list of 8 travel developments that may not make major headlines, but are still highly interesting. These tourism talking points that snuck under the radar take us from Singapore to Brunei, Indonesia to China and Thailand to Japan. En route, we discuss a start-up airline that plans to fly Chinese-made passenger jets, the story of a shattered glass tourism bridge in Indonesia and a proposed tourism theme park on the border between Thailand, Laos and China.

Plus we tackle a new tourism and trade agreement between Japan and the Philippines, and address the aviation and arrivals slowdown in Singapore. Is this a barometer for the rest of South East Asia?

Resources

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
13 Nov 2026 β€’ 30m10s

Ep 326: Vietnam Incentivises Tourism Growth, Poland Emerges as a Trending ASEAN Source Market & Indonesia Plays Tourism Monopoly

There are just 48 days left in 2026, and South East Asia’s tourism players are racing to squeeze as much value as possible before year ends. This week, Gary and Hannah travel from Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand to Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, plus a brief trip to Poland. We assess Singapore Airlines’ interim results, which deliver rising passenger revenue paired with rising fuel costs. Its outlook statement echoes pretty much everything we’ve been saying for the past 9 months.
Play
3 Nov 2026 β€’ 21m10s

Ep 325: Jet Fuel Costs Dominate Q3 Airline Earnings, Grab & ASEAN's Accelerating Agentic Travel Revolution & AirAsia's 2027 Bahrain Reset

The first week of November is normally a calm period ahead of the end-of-year peak season mayhem, but the hot travel talking points continue to proliferate. While Hannah is at WTM in London, Gary recaps the latest developments across South East Asia and beyond. First up, the data breach at Amadeus and the statements released by Asian airlines, including Malaysian Airlines and Qantas, about what this means for passengers and their personal data.