Ep 41: The Troubles With Travel Bubbles
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
PodbeanAbout This Episode
21 Oct 2020 • 33m00sIt’s 6 months since Australia and New Zealand first floated the concept of Travel Bubbles. Ever since, it has dominated travel talk as a potential way to safely reopen borders between two countries without requiring a quarantine. But the 2020 travel realities (and the coronavirus itself) have made bilateral bubbles extremely difficult to negotiate, agree and implement.
This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the different definitions of air travel bubbles, corridors, fast tracks and green lanes. They also assess three high-profile travel bubbles - Hong Kong-Singapore, Australia-New Zealand and India-Maldives - which illustrate the political, geographical, public health and operational challenges that stand in the way of more agreements.
Latest Episodes Catch up with the pods you may have missed
Play
28 Oct 2026 • 26m15s
Ep 324: Malaysia's Air Passenger Slump, Sydney Joins the 'Two-Airports Club' & Singapore Plans Christmas with BTS
As we head into the final two months of a turbulent 2026, there’s a multitude of travel talking points to decipher across ASEAN and beyond. We start with Australia’s first major new airport for 50 years, which catapults Sydney into the club of cities with two international airports. We move onto Malaysia, which reported a 12% decrease in airport passengers in September, including a worrying 22% decline in domestic air travel.
Play
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.
