Ep 285: Vietnam's New January Inbound Record, AirFish in Singapore & What Will Elections in Thailand & Japan Mean for Tourism?: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

It’s a BIG week for tourism policy across Asia. On our fast-paced Start The Week show, Gary and Hannah stop over in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines and Japan. Elections in Thailand and Japan returned the two interim Prime Ministers with clear mandates. What will this mean for Thailand’s attempts to stem its inbound decline? And will fiscal expansionism further weaken the Japanese Yen? And what about repairing relations between China & Japan and Cambodia & Thailand? Meanwhile, why are the (female) tourism ministers of Indonesia and the Philippines facing media scrutiny? Plus, Singapore shifts its reporting focus towards tourism spend rather than visitor arrivals, while Vietnam broke its monthly record in January with dramatic increases from various Asian and global visitor markets. Finally, we discuss eVTOLs and AirFish in Singapore - is this the start of a new era of high-yield tourism transport in South East Asia?