Ep 299: Vietnam's Travel Transformation Accelerates, Chocolate Hills Under Threat in the Philippines & What is the Value of Heritage in Singapore?: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show

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20 Apr 2026 β€’ 21m12s

On this week’s kickstarter show, Gary and Hannah explore travel and tourism issues across Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. Key topics include Vietnam’s reshaping of its travel landscape through MOUs signed by President To Lam with China for railway development and aircraft procurement, Malaysia’s ongoing KLIA baggage system issues, and Singapore Airlines’ resilience amid Q1 challenges. The episode also covers environmental threats to Indonesia’s Komodo National Park and the Philippines’ Chocolate Hills, before examining heritage preservation in Singapore’s travel industry amid rising costs, demographic shifts, and waning younger generation interest in maintaining traditional immigrant-founded businesses.

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