Ep 281: Trip.com's Antitrust Troubles, Cambodia & Philippines Go Visa-Free for Chinese Tourists & Singapore's Big BTS Win: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

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About This Episode

19 Jan 2026 • 16m24s

Welcome to the second edition of our new Start The Week show - a fast-paced summary of the hottest 5 travel topics in South East Asia and beyond. This week’s show has a strong Chinese influence – a theme we expect to intensify through 2026. Gary and Hannah summarise the outlook for Trip.com’s South East Asia expansion as it faces an antitrust investigation in China.

In a week of tragic accidents in Thailand and Indonesia, high-speed rail construction and air passenger safety are in the spotlight. Plus, why has the Philippines finally decided to introduce visa-free entry for Chinese tourists? Is AirAsia’s protracted restructure nearing completion - and what does it mean for air travel in the region?

And, with the announcement of the BTS World Tour dates, why is Singapore “rubbing its hands with glee”? All this and more in 15 minutes…

« Next Episode Ep 282: Nipah Virus Alert, a New Tourism Tax in Indonesia & a Blackpink AI Controversy in Thailand: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show Previous Episode » Ep 280: 25 for 2025: The South East Asia Travel Show's Year in Review

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16 Oct 2026 • 26m01s

Ep 323: Singapore's Tourism Spending Slump, Scam Centres in Luxury Hotels & Resorts & Are Australians Starting to Adopt Vietjet?

As we march through Q4, upbeat news is in short supply across the region’s travel industry. This week’s round-up of South East Asia’s top talking points takes Gary and Hannah to Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Australia, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia. With markets abuzz about earnings season, Singapore reports downbeat spending and arrivals numbers, and the best-case scenario for the Philippines in 2026 is flat versus 2025. Meanwhile, regional governments issue travel safety warnings for Saudi Arabia and airlines cancel flights after the deadly attack on Riyadh airport.

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9 Oct 2026 • 23m31s

Ep 322: Phu Quoc Fuels Vietnam's Tourism Rocket Ship, Thailand Moves Closer to Taxing Tourists & Russia's Rising Influence on South East Asian Tourism Planning

“Vietnam is riding a tourism rocket ship, and is on a totally different trajectory to the rest of South East Asia.” As we accelerate through October, this was another week packed with hot travel and tourism topics to discuss. To kickstart the weekend, Gary and Hannah journey across ASEAN and beyond with stopovers in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Russia and India. We assess Phu Quoc’s dramatic tourism surge to already surpass its 2026 visitor target.

Ep 281: Trip.com's Antitrust Troubles, Cambodia & Philippines Go Visa-Free for Chinese Tourists & Singapore's Big BTS Win: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

About This Episode

Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed

Ep 323: Singapore's Tourism Spending Slump, Scam Centres in Luxury Hotels & Resorts & Are Australians Starting to Adopt Vietjet?

Ep 322: Phu Quoc Fuels Vietnam's Tourism Rocket Ship, Thailand Moves Closer to Taxing Tourists & Russia's Rising Influence on South East Asian Tourism Planning

Hannah Pearson

Gary Bowerman