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
3 Jul 2026 β€’ 22m17s

Ep 310: Vietnam's Airlines Expand at Warp Speed, Bangkok Rides the Mega-Wellness Wave & Durian Tourism Ambassadors in Malaysia: June 2026 in Review

“They are not happy with just Vietnam, just Thailand - now they are going after Australia!” The scale of ambition and speed of commercial aggression shown by Vietnamese airlines is a stand-out feature of 2026, and there is no sign of a slowdown. On our monthly round-up of the top travel and tourism talking points in South East Asia and beyond in June, Gary and Hannah look at how airline strategies are shifting in ASEAN, Asia, Australia and the Middle East East - and the new threads tying them together.
Play
25 Jun 2026 β€’ 22m48s

Ep 309: Vietnam's Great Airport Race, Cambodia Hedges its China Bets & Robotic Wellness Zen in Singapore

“Robotic lockers and ozone-based water filtration systems.” Gary and Hannah examine recent travel and tourism developments across ASEAN, featuring stops in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. Key topics include Brunei’s largest year-long tourism promotion planned for 2027 (previewed at Travel Meet Asia in Jakarta), mixed signals from airlines AirAsia and AirBornie regarding fares, Vietnam’s military involvement in ensuring Long Thanh International Airport opens before year’s end, Cambodia’s four-month visa-free policy for Chinese tourists, and Singapore’s new wellness megaproject that has begun construction.