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

About This Episode

10 Sep 2024 β€’ 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?

View All Episodes

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Play
4 May 2026 β€’ 18m00s

Ep 302: Thailand's Newest Tourism Tax, 2 ASEAN Airlines in Global Flight Cuts Top 10 & Baby Shark in Singapore: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

Why is Thailand considering a second tourism tax? Could the Philippines rescind its decision to scrap an outbound air travel fee? Which ASEAN airlines are cutting the most flights from May-July? And is India’s outbound growth story hitting an energy-crunch roadblock? Those are four of the key questions Gary and Hannah ask and answer on our Start the Week show. To kickstart the May holiday week, we head to Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Myanmar via India and South Korea to tackle the 6 top regional talking points.
Play
27 Apr 2026 β€’ 15m31s

Ep 300: Thailand & Cambodia Pursue Peace, Myanmar Nears ASEAN Return & Embodied AI Tourism in Malaysia: Start the Week in The South East Asia - Part 1

Is a rapprochement between Thailand and Cambodia getting closer? Could Myanmar soon return to ASEAN? And how will embodied AI transform the tourism landscape in South East Asia? Those are three of the top questions Gary and Hannah ask and answer in Part 1 of our two-part Start the Week show. To kickstart the lead-up to the May holiday period, we head to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and China to tackle the talking points that matter.