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

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10 Sep 2024 • 26m16s

“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. We also discuss Thailand establishing 18 Dark Sky Reserves to attract stargazing tourists and Ho Chi Minh City’s promotion of 8 soft powers in a play to be a “cultural industrial hub.”

Plus, which two countries in the region are celebrating the inscription of new UNESCO World Heritage Sites? And which ASEAN nation has achieved a 101% recovery of its visitor arrivals so far this year compared to 2019?

« Next Episode Ep 228: Tackling Economic Leakage & Sustainability Grandstanding in Tourism, with Ewan Cluckie, Tripseed Previous Episode » Ep 226: The Outlook for Muslim Friendly Tourism & Hospitality in Asia Pacific, with Nizran Noordin, Islamic Tourism Centre

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10 Oct 2025 • 34m24s

Ep 271: Chinese Holidaymakers Jet Off, Multiple Muslim Tourism Initiatives & Fiscal Relief for Travel Workers: September + Golden Week in Review

After three weeks in Japan, Singapore and Italy, Gary and Hannah are back in KL to recap the top travel talking points from September and early October. China’s Mid-Autumn Golden Week has just wrapped up, so we assess the current state of play in a diversifying Chinese outbound market. Elsewhere, we discuss a raft of new Muslim-friendly tourism initiatives being introduced across South East Asia, note a shift towards waterborne transport innovation and crunch the numbers of a tax relief scheme for travel industry workers in Indonesia.

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25 Sep 2025 • 32m29s

Ep 270: From Japan to South East Asia to South America: Confronting the Cumulative Challenges of Tourism, with Joao Romao

Economic and social processes shape tourism development, but - in turn - tourism reshapes economic spaces, and that is creating new challenges in South East Asia and beyond. This week, Gary welcomes Joao Romao, Associate Professor at Yasuda Women’s University in Japan, to discuss his new book, Economic Geography of Tourism. An economist, tourism strategy advisor and former travel documentary maker, Joao assesses contemporary tourism through a lens of shifting global economic, technological, societal, environmental and political challenges.

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

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 271: Chinese Holidaymakers Jet Off, Multiple Muslim Tourism Initiatives & Fiscal Relief for Travel Workers: September + Golden Week in Review

Ep 270: From Japan to South East Asia to South America: Confronting the Cumulative Challenges of Tourism, with Joao Romao

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman