Ep 245: Russian Tourists, Chinese Planes & Singapore's Forensic Concert Tourism Planning: March 2025 in Review

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27 Mar 2025 • 33m24s

“Should South East Asian nations be worried by moves in South Korea and Türkiye to attract more Chinese and Russian tourists?” March proved to be the most fascinating month so far in 2025 for travel and tourism talking points in South East Asia. For our regular monthly rewind, Gary and Hannah travel through Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and The Philippines, plus China, South Korea and, rare for us, Turkiye.

En route, we discuss the possibility of Chinese COMAC planes flying in Vietnam and Laos, Thailand cutting its visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days and new flight connections to Cambodia ahead of the nation’s new airport opening in July. Plus, we look at the forensic tourism planning behind Singapore securing Lady Gaga’s Asia-exclusive concerts in May, and assess the impact of Indonesia’s currency slump on domestic, inbound and outbound travel.

And we pack in casino tourism, cruise travel and a touted new airline in ASEAN’s largest air market.

« Next Episode Ep 246: Indonesia's Inbound, Outbound & Domestic Travel Outlook, with Pauline Suharno, ASTINDO Previous Episode » Ep 244: Taking South East Asia's 'Less Bad Travel' Pulse, with Stuart McDonald, Travelfish

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18 Jun 2026 • 37m08s

Ep 308: Live at the 2026 Travel + Leisure Luxury Summit Asia in Bangkok

This week’s special edition of the show was recorded live in front of a packed ballroom audience at the 2026 Travel + Leisure Luxury Summit Asia, at the Dusit Thani hotel in Bangkok. Gary and Hannah took to the stage for a three-part podcast. In part 1, we provide a short round-up of the travel and tourism year so far in South East Asia and beyond - and the outlook for the rest of 2026.

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12 Jun 2026 • 22m42s

Ep 307: The Vietnam vs Thailand Tourism Rivalry Heats Up, SAF in Retreat & Durian Tourism in Malaysia

“The world has changed around Thailand since Covid, whereas Vietnam appears more in control of its destiny.” As we race toward the midpoint of 2026, it was another week with plenty of travel talking points in ASEAN and beyond. The week, Gary and Hannah visit Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and China to decipher the top takeaways. We begin in the Philippines with the latest reports from the devastating earthquake in Mindanao, and send our very best wishes to people across the nation for Philippine Independence Day.

Ep 245: Russian Tourists, Chinese Planes & Singapore's Forensic Concert Tourism Planning: March 2025 in Review

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 308: Live at the 2026 Travel + Leisure Luxury Summit Asia in Bangkok

Ep 307: The Vietnam vs Thailand Tourism Rivalry Heats Up, SAF in Retreat & Durian Tourism in Malaysia

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman