Ep 225: The 2024 South East Asia Tourism Year (So Far) in Review - Data Free!

About This Episode

19 Aug 2024 • 34m02s

We are almost two-thirds through 2024. This year, more than ever, South East Asia’s travel and tourism recovery and regrowth is being assessed through the lens of data and statistics. But quantifying every aspect of tourism obfuscates the dynamic political, economic, societal, technological and environmental factors behind those numbers.

So, this week Gary and Hannah ask and answer 8 critical questions about the direction of regional travel in 2024, and beyond – without referencing data. Can we go an entire show without stating Thailand’s latest monthly arrivals or air passenger data at Changi? En route, we discuss political leadership changes in Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, the ongoing LCC rebuild, the return of Chinese travellers at scale and disruption in the aircraft manufacturing sector.

Plus, what’s next for Asian currency values and the impact on travel, casino legalisation in Thailand, visa waivers, and m-pox planning across the region? And why have high-speed railway proposals become a governmental “must have” across ASEAN in 2024?

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
23 Sep 2024 • 32m28s

Ep 228: Tackling Economic Leakage & Sustainability Grandstanding in Tourism, with Ewan Cluckie, Tripseed

“How do you know your tourism activity’s overall impact is beneficial to a community if you aren’t measuring it?” This week, Gary and Hannah discuss economic leakages and quantifying the impacts on local communities of tour operations with Ewan Cluckie, Founder of Thailand-based Tripseed. Socio-economic sustainability in tourism is an under-scrutinised topic, but Tripseed is confronting it head-on. The company recently published phase 1 of its deeply researched Economic Distribution Disclosure Initiative, a set of tools and metrics designed to “drive transparency and positive impact within the local economy”.
Play
10 Sep 2024 • 26m16s

Ep 227: Stargazing Tourism, a 'Cultural Industrial Hub' & New UNESCO Heritage Sites: August 2024 in Review

“The pieces of South East Asia’s post-pandemic tourism jigsaw are still being put into place”. Regional travel and tourism trends continue to be impacted by the Covid era, both from a supply and demand perspective. So, as we march full steam into the final third of 2024, what were the Top 8 talking points in August 2024? On our monthly roundup, we discuss the fallout from Malaysia Airlines’ decision to cut almost one-fifth of its capacity, assess the airline volumes into the region from China and dive into the factors behind the latest round of quarterly airline earnings.