Ep 256: A 'Resort Airline', An OTA Law Suit, Time for Timor Leste & Blackpink Back in the Area: May 2025 in Review

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6 Jun 2025 • 40m55s

May was another hectic month of BIG travel, tourism and geopolitical talking points in South East Asia. This month’s roundup takes Gary and Hannah around ASEAN, from our home city of Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor Leste and Vietnam – plus China, India (sort of), Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan.

En route, we discuss China’s new ASEAN visa, Indonesia clings to its high-speed rail ambitions, and ASEAN accumulates an 11th member, and perhaps as a 12th in future. We feature a mini round-up of travel takeaways from the Philippines, including airport privatisation, a digital nomad visa and visa-free access for Indian travellers.

Plus, Vietnam’s “resort airline in the sky,” AirAsia takes on Saudi Arabia and Vietjet lands in Kazakhstan. And, we finish with a regional concert tourism review and preview, featuring Lady Gaga in Singapore and Blackpink preparing to kill the love in four South East Asian capitals.

« Next Episode Ep 257: Chinese Backpackers, Mountains Clad with Solar Panels, a Giant Lenin Statue & Delightful Almaty: An Epic Overland Journey from Bali to Britain, with Stuart McDonald Previous Episode » Ep 255: Vietnam is the Hottest Travel Economy in South East Asia: So What Happens Next?, with Dr Nuno Ribeiro, RMIT University HCMC

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6 Jun 2025 • 40m55s

Ep 256: A 'Resort Airline', An OTA Law Suit, Time for Timor Leste & Blackpink Back in the Area: May 2025 in Review

May was another hectic month of BIG travel, tourism and geopolitical talking points in South East Asia. This month’s roundup takes Gary and Hannah around ASEAN, from our home city of Kuala Lumpur to Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Timor Leste and Vietnam – plus China, India (sort of), Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan. En route, we discuss China’s new ASEAN visa, Indonesia clings to its high-speed rail ambitions, and ASEAN accumulates an 11th member, and perhaps as a 12th in future.

🎙️ About The Creators 🎧

Hannah Pearson

Asia travel analyst and speaker. Director of Pear Anderson, a research & sales travel consultancy specialising in SEA and Muslim travel. Read more »

Gary Bowerman

Asia travel analyst and speaker. Co-founder and director of Check-in Asia, a travel content, marketing and market research agency. Read more »