Ep 213: Visa Waivers, Extreme Weather, AI Tools & ‘All-Gender Weddings’: Revisiting the 2024 Travel Wishlist

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10 May 2024 • 26m12s

As we speed towards the mid-point of 2024, it’s time to revisit our annual top 10 list of travel wishes and expectations, which we created in January. How have our predictions measured up so far this year?

En route, we assess whether travel visa waivers have become a competitive battleground in South East Asia, and look at evolving patterns in the Public Holiday vs Weekend vs Weekday travel economies.

Plus, are we seeing any progress to bridge the Say-Do gap in sustainable travel activity, and is there any evidence to support the AI hype in travel supply and demand? And we track the timeline of Thailand’s institutional journey to become the region’s first nation to legalise same-sex weddings. When could this become enshrined in law, and how might it influence new travel trends?

« Next Episode Ep 214: Running Away to the Circus, and Cambodia's Tourism Recovery, with Craig Dodge, Phare Previous Episode » Ep 212: 'Everyone Wants to Go to Japan': The Best Bits From The South East Asia Travel Show in April 2024

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19 Mar 2026 • 22m55s

Ep 291: As the Energy Crisis Impacts Spread Across Asian Travel, Can K-pop Save the World?

As the energy crisis impacts start to diversify across Asia, Gary and Hannah ask a simple question: Can K-pop save the world? This week’s journey takes us from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos to Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, plus Maldives and Sri Lanka. En route we assess some of the radiating outcomes of war in the Middle East that go far beyond airlines and air connectivity. And we turn to South Korea for hope and inspiration.

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13 Mar 2026 • 33m52s

Ep 290: The Economic Impacts of War in the Middle East for Travel & Tourism Across South East Asia

“It’s a cliche to say that everything is in flux, and that there is a great deal of uncertainty across travel economies. But it’s true.” The US and Israel’s ongoing aerial bombardment of Iran and Lebanon - and the worsening unintended consequences of retaliatory strikes on energy assets and other installations across the Middle East - are raising crisis fears across Asian economies. Travel and tourism are once again in the cross-hairs, and it’s starting to feel like Covid 2.

Ep 213: Visa Waivers, Extreme Weather, AI Tools & ‘All-Gender Weddings’: Revisiting the 2024 Travel Wishlist

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 291: As the Energy Crisis Impacts Spread Across Asian Travel, Can K-pop Save the World?

Ep 290: The Economic Impacts of War in the Middle East for Travel & Tourism Across South East Asia

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman