Ep 197: South East Asia's Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in January

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2 Feb 2024 • 33m19s

The 2023 visitor arrivals and airport passenger statistics are published, and the gloves are off. As the region prepares for a vibrant Lunar New Year travel season, 2024 is set to be the most shape-shifting year for travel since 2019. So, how has South East Asia started the year in travel and tourism terms? Gary and Hannah discuss January’s Top 8 talking points, which include bilateral visa-free travel agreements with China, proposals for a “seamless ASEAN” and a “single ASEAN airline”, plus a national MICE Sustainability certification. We also discuss the variable forecasts for visitor arrivals in 2024 and shifting post-Covid patterns of competition among Asia Pacific’s four largest airports.

Plus, we assess the origin and curtailment of a significant tax hike that caused uproar across Indonesia’s tourism industry.

« Next Episode Ep 198: Will Taylornomics Encourage OTAs & SuperApps to Sell Concert Tickets in Asia? Previous Episode » Ep 196: The Outlook for Travel & Tourism in Vietnam, with Mike Tatarski, Vietnam Weekly

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5 Jun 2026 • 19m50s

Ep 306: Will El Niño be the Next Major Travel Shock?: Start the Weekend with The South East Asia Travel Show

As we accelerate towards the mid-point of 2026, the warning signs continuing showing up. On our Start the Weekend show, Gary and Hannah discuss new data analysis about the impacts of airline cuts in South East Asia - and what this might mean through October and beyond. And, then… El Niño is coming! The UN Meteorological Office has issued new details about the warming sea temperatures and shifting air currents we can expect from June onwards.

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29 May 2026 • 30m21s

Ep 305: Flight Cuts & Currency Drops, More Indian Tourists Head to Vietnam & Is an ASEAN Jet Fuel Stockpile Realistic?: May 2026 in Review

So, the fifth month of 2026 is complete - and it was another one dominated by the impacts of the US/Israel war in Iran/Lebanon. This week, Gary and Hannah recap May’s top 8 travel takeaways from across ASEAN and beyond with stopovers in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Cambodia, plus China, India and the UK. En route, we discuss flight route cuts across South East Asia, China, Japan and South Korea, and look at whether plans for an ASEAN reserve stockpile of crude oil would ease future jet fuel shocks.

Ep 197: South East Asia's Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in January

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 306: Will El Niño be the Next Major Travel Shock?: Start the Weekend with The South East Asia Travel Show

Ep 305: Flight Cuts & Currency Drops, More Indian Tourists Head to Vietnam & Is an ASEAN Jet Fuel Stockpile Realistic?: May 2026 in Review

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman