Ep 241: Indonesia's Tourism Budget Bust, Malaysia's New State Airline & the Philippines Goes Michelin: February 2025 in Review
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28 Feb 2025 • 30m50sWhere did February go? Already, we are two months into 2025, and what a fascinating month it proved to be. Some compelling regional stories emerged. So, as we do every month, Gary and Hannah discuss the Top 8 tourism talking points from a hectic February. The journey takes us to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, plus Hong Kong, China, Japan and India.
En route we ask and answer the following questions:
- Which was the first ASEAN country to surpass 2019 arrivals?
- How will Indonesia’s tourism budget cut impact inbound arrivals?
- Why is China promoting Xishuangbanna as visa-free for South East Asian tour groups?
- Who will win the race to 40 million visitors, Thailand or Japan?
- And where in the world was the first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant?
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17 Apr 2025 • 45m08s
Ep 249: Destinations on Screen: The Top 8 TV + Movie Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia & Asia Pacific
What connects CNN, Coldplay, Bollywood, The White Lotus, Bluey, Minecraft and K-dramas? All are linked to the burgeoning trend of representing tourism destinations in TV series, movies, videos, documentaries and computer games.
This week, Gary and Hannah assess the top 8 TV and Movie Tourism talking points in ASEAN, Asia Pacific and beyond. The global journey takes us from Jakarta, Koh Samui and Singapore to Seoul, Jeju Island and Okinawa - and beyond to the UK, New Zealand and Australia.
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11 Apr 2025 • 27m39s
Ep 248: China, South East Asia & Asia Pacific Confront the Turmoil of Trump's Tariffs - Part 2
“ASEAN, being the fifth largest economy in the world, is deeply concerned over the recent introduction of unilateral tariffs by the US, including the tariffs announced on 2 April and subsequently the suspension on 9 April… [These] will impact economic security and stability, affect livelihoods of millions of people in the region, and hinder economic progress in ASEAN, particularly less developed economies.”
It’s unusual for ASEAN to word its statements so strongly.
