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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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 278: Travel & Tourism in an Age of Uncertainty: 12 Key Themes to Watch in South East Asia & Asia Pacific in 2026

Ep 277: The Geopolitics of Travel & Tourism in ASEAN, Asia Pacific & Beyond in the Era of AI

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman