Ep 251: Mixed Travel & Tourism Vibes Across South East Asia: April 2025 in Review

April began with the announcement of US “reciprocal tariffs”, which ranged from 10% to 49% on exports from South East Asian nations. This has created toxic uncertainty across all industries in the region, notably business travel. But before the tariff turmoil, Q1 had delivered mixed results for travel and tourism, with the Eid al-Fitr holiday numbers particularly weak in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Was this the result of the Lunar New Year and Eid public holidays being in the same quarter, or are we at the start of a cyclical travel slowdown in ASEAN? On our monthly roundup, Gary and Hannah assess the latest data and insights gleaned from attending and speaking at travel industry events throughout the month. Plus, Thailand plans to reframe its 2025 tourism strategy after reducing its revenue forecast, Vietnam experiences glitches at the opening of a new airport terminal, and China and Malaysia extend their bilateral visa-free access agreement.

And, Indonesia and UN Tourism unveil a detailed set of tourism investment guidelines, Balis vows to enforce new behavioural rules for tourists, and more South East Asian vacationers are heading to Macau.