Ep 269: ASEAN & APAC Still Playing Air Travel Catch-up, Bali Floods Fallout & Koh Samui’s Mega-Bridge: This Week in Review

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19 Sep 2025 • 25m07s

As we speed towards the 4th quarter of 2025, some economic metrics in South East Asia are trending towards nervousness.

Air travel capacity is a primary case study, where the year-on-year data is mostly positive (look away now, Indonesia), but the ASEAN and APAC regions (overall) are still playing catching from 2019… all those pre-Covid years ago. Plus, on our weekly travel news roundup, Gary and Hannah journey across ASEAN to discuss the top talking points in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines and Timor Leste.

En route, we discuss the devastating flooding fallout in Bali, ‘brownouts’ in Boracay, Koh Samui’s controversial mega-bridge and the downbeat news that the Thai-Cambodia border “will not be reopened soon.” To salve the sense of gloom, we finish by keeping our fingers crossed that Timor Leste will be admitted as the 11th member of ASEAN - although no-one seems quite sure.

« Next Episode Ep 270: From Japan to South East Asia to South America: Confronting the Cumulative Challenges of Tourism, with Joao Romao Previous Episode » Ep 268: Techo Airport Takes Off, Thai Baht Volatility & Turmoil in Indonesia: This Week in Review

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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 269: ASEAN & APAC Still Playing Air Travel Catch-up, Bali Floods Fallout & Koh Samui’s Mega-Bridge: This Week 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