Ep 286: Lunar New Year Segues into Ramadan, Thailand's Koh Samui Bridge & ASEAN Airlines Take Off for Europe: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

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16 Feb 2026 • 16m13s

Where will Chinese tourists head for the longest Spring Festival holiday in history? How will regional travel hold up for the Lunar New Year break? And will the close proximity of the LNY and the Eid holiday seasons influence travel patterns in parts of South East Asia? On our fast-paced Start The Week show, Gary and Hannah stop over in,Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Bahrain, London & Amsterdam in search of the answers to travel’s big questions. En route, we discuss short-term rental sector challenges in the Philippines, and European flight expansions by Air Asia X, Vietnam Airlines & Thai Airways. Plus, we find out how much travellers would be prepared to pay to drive across the planned bridge connecting eastern Thailand with Koh Samui - and how would this affect the popular ferry routes?

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