Ep 263: War, Tariffs, GDP Revisions & Slowing Visitor Arrivals: July 2025 in Review

July was a challenging month for travel and tourism in South East Asia. A military conflict between Thailand and Cambodia shook the region. New ‘reciprocal’ US tariff rates will challenge bottom lines and business travel budgets for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, mixed results continue for visitor arrivals, consumer spending and travel sentiment. This month’s Top 10 Travel Talking Points round-up takes Gary and Hannah from Malaysia to Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and, inevitably given the global geo-economic situation, Washington DC.

En route we discuss the potential implications of the Thailand-Cambodia War, the new US tariff rates and the Asian Development Bank’s gloomy GDP forecasts for the region. Plus, we assess the latest visitor arrivals statistics - and Malaysia’s controversial new accounting method - look at Singapore’s tourism partnership with OpenAI, Hotel 101’s lacklustre IPO in New York, and further delays for Thailand’s casino resort legislation and tourism tax.

And, we finish on a positive note with the newly inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Sites across South East Asia.