Podcast
The South East Asia Travel Show
Hosted by The South East Asia Travel Show · EN
The South East Asia Travel Show is hosted by Gary Bowerman and Hannah Pearson. Each week, we discuss the hottest travel talking points in the 10 countries of ASEAN, and the influential travel markets of Asia Pacific and beyond.
45episodes
Episodes
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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
Feb 900:16:46Tap to summarizeIt'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?
Transcribe →Did ASEAN Surpass 2019 Arrivals in 2025?, New Airlines in Vietnam & Currency Craziness Everywhere: January 2026 in Review
Feb 500:30:49Tap to summarizeJanuary disappeared in a flash - and what a crazy month it was worldwide. Here in South East Asia, an intriguing slate of talking points emerged to set up the 2026 travel year - and Lunar New Year is just around the corner. As we do every month, Gary and Hannah recap January’s top 8 takeaways from across ASEAN and beyond with stopovers in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand… and Russia. En route, we debate ASEAN's claim to have (marginally) surpassed 2019's aggregate visitor arrivals in 2025, and look at two new and rebranded airlines in Vietnam. We try to make sense of the dramatic currency volatility that beset Asia last month, look at why Russia is 2026's hot inbound source market, and address whether government intervention in the Philippines will bring down domestic air fares. We finish on the A-List red carpet as Thailand launches a tourism campaign at Wat Arun helmed by global pop culture superstar, Lisa from Blackpink.
Transcribe →ASEAN Launches 2030 Tourism Roadmap, 20 Years of the Singapore Air Show & Bangkok's Major MICE Win: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show
Feb 200:17:53Tap to summarizeIn the fourth edition of our Start The Week show; a fast-paced ride through the hottest travel topics in South East Asia and beyond, Gary and Hannah land in Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia Myanmar, Japan and China. En route, we deconstruct the key points of ASEAN's 2026-2030 Tourism Blueprint, look at why the IMF/World Bank annual summit is headed to Bangkok, and get ready to buy our Shanghai flight tickets with China's visa-free travel scheme extended to UK citizens. Plus, we look at why the 20th anniversary of the Singapore Air Show will spotlight the growth and diversity of aviation across South East Asia. We check in on the coastal erosion controversy in Malaysia's Penang Island, and look back on 5 years since the military coup in Myanmar. We finish by assessing what this weekend's elections in Thailand and Japan might mean for the visitor economy outlook of both countries. All this in just 17 minutes.
Transcribe →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
Jan 2600:15:57Tap to summarizeWelcome to the third edition of our Start The Week show; a fast-paced ride through the hottest 5 travel topics in South East Asia and beyond. This week, Gary and Hannah take a sharp intake of breath as Thailand raises an alert for the deadly Nipah Virus. We also discuss 13 intriguing new city pairs for Changi Airport (with China a key focus), and a new tourism tax in Raja Ampat. Plus, we look at how the Philippines is trying to tap into the lengthy visa-processing wait for its citizens wishing to visit Japan, a new hotel art programme in Singapore, and the Red Lotus Lake social media furore around a Was-it-Wasn't-it-AI-Generated? image of Blackpink's Lalisa, Thailand's tourism ambassador. Very 'Zeitgeist 2026'! All this - and some top talking points to watch for over the next 7 days - in just 15 minutes.
Transcribe →Indonesia's Tourism Budget Bust, Malaysia's New State Airline & the Philippines Goes Michelin: February 2025 in Review
Feb 28, 202500:30:50Tap to summarizeWhere did February go? Already, we are two months into 2025, and what a fascinating month it proved to be. Some compelling regional stories emerged. So, as we do every month, Gary and Hannah discuss the Top 8 tourism talking points from a hectic February. The journey takes us to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines, plus Hong Kong, China, Japan and India. En route we ask and answer the following questions: Which was the first ASEAN country to surpass 2019 arrivals? How will Indonesia's tourism budget cut impact inbound arrivals. Why is China promoting Xishuangbanna as visa-free for South East Asian tour groups? Who will win the race to 40 million visitors, Thailand or Japan? And where in the world was the first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant?
Transcribe →Is Vietnam On Track for a Record Tourism Year in 2025?, with Mike Tatarski, Vietnam Weekly
Feb 20, 202500:32:36Tap to summarizeVietnam has one of ASEAN's most complex and compelling visitor economies, and has started 2025 at high-octane pace. It received more than 2 million visitors in January for the first time - and has set a goal of 23 million arrivals in 2025. That would smash the previous record of 18 million in 2019. Aligned with a vibrant domestic travel economy - Vietnam is one of the few countries with a population of over 100 million - the opportunities and challenges will multiply. To assess the outlook for 2025 and beyond, Gary and Hannah welcome back Mike Tatarski, Founder of Vietnam Weekly. We discuss the key inbound markets, such as China, Russia and ASEAN, and emerging markets like India and Central Asian nations. We have the latest on construction of the nation's largest airport, Long Thanh International, east of Ho Chi Minh City, and the ambitious North-South High-Speed Railway. Plus, we address the impact of high domestic flight prices, waste management issues on Vietnamese islands, and over-development in coastal hotspots.
Transcribe →Fragmentation is the New Normal: Top 8 Chinese Outbound Tourism Topics to Watch in 2025
Feb 14, 202500:36:52Tap to summarize“In 2025, consumer demand in the outbound travel market in China will continue to fragment, particularly in terms of interests. This shift is one of the most significant changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.” Two years after China reopened for travel, the outbound tourism market continues to diversify and fragment. The landscape looks very different than it did in 2019 - and the 2025 Chinese New Year confirmed this. To discuss the 8 Top Chinese Tourism Trends to Watch in 2025, Gary welcomes back Sienna Parulis-Cook, Director of Marketing & Communications of Beijing-based Dragon Trail international, to the show. We discuss the key takeaways from the CNY travel period - where did Chinese tourists fly to, how long did they stay and how much did they spend? We dissect the hotspot destinations, including Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan, old favourites like Singapore - and the social media tribulations of Thailand. Plus, we tackle hot trends in Europe (Northern Lights) and the Middle East (Saudi Arabia), analyse new trends in family travel and discuss how the growth of self-drive travel is shaping itinerary planning.
Transcribe →Using the 5Fs, White Lotus, Lalisa & Soft Power to Reposition Thai Tourism, with Chattan Kunjara, Tourism Authority of Thailand
Jan 30, 202500:33:09Tap to summarize“The White Lotus is huge. It's a very scenery-driven show, and there are compelling stories behind that. It creates an aura.” As The White Lotus season 3 prepares to air, how is Thailand using various aspects of soft power to reposition itself as a tourism destination? This week's show comes from Gary's other podcast, High-Yield Tourism, on which he and Dr Jens Thraenhart speak to global thought leaders about how tourism strategy and development are changing in the post-Covid era. In this episode, Chattan Kunjara, Former Deputy Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, discusses how Thailand is promoting the 5Fs - food, fight (May Thai), fashion, film and festivals - in tourism as part of its national branding. Khun Chattan takes us behind the scenes of Thailand's reopening strategy and how, in his words, "Covid changed everything for Thai tourism." He also provides fascinating insights about the inner travel and tourism workings of South East Asia's most-visited nation.
Transcribe →South East Asia's Top 8 Pre-Lunar New Year Travel & Tourism Talking Points: January 2025 in Review
Jan 24, 202500:34:07Tap to summarizeThe Lunar New Year travel period has begun! Chinese tourists are staggering their trips to South East Asia to avoid the Golden Week travel rush... So, following this trend, we've expedited our monthly round-up. This week, Gary and Hannah assess the Top 8 talking points from a very hectic January 2025 – perhaps even more frenetic than usual given the fairly early occurrence of the LNY. This month's top takeaways take us to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Laos, Myanmar… and more. Along the way, we discuss the Thai Prime Minister's AI video to assure Chinese tourists about safety, Bali buries its hotel development moratorium, the Visit 2026 campaign experiences hiccups in Malaysia, and there's an unexpected move in Laos as it revokes visa waivers. Plus, we touch on an intriguing budget win by the Secretary of Tourism in the Philippines, and we celebrate the first same-sex marriage ceremonies in Thailand.
Transcribe →South East Asia's Top 8 Travel Mega-Projects in 2025, with James Clark, Future South East Asia
Jan 16, 202500:33:48Tap to summarizeWherever you find yourself in South East Asia, it’s impossible to miss that travel infrastructure is being built out on a vast scale – and 2025 is an important year for some major projects. This week, Gary chats with James Clark, Founder of the Future South East Asia newsletter, to assess the Top 8 Mega-Projects under-development across the region. In order, we discuss these transformative airport and high-speed rail projects in 1) Vietnam, 2) Singapore, 3) Cambodia, 4) Indonesia, 5) The Philippines, 6) Malaysia, 7) Back to Vietnam, and 8) Thailand. We analyse the potential impact on travel and tourism, plus the economics and politics, and the financing, planning and construction challenges, behind each one. With South East Asia at the centre of Asia Pacific's ambitious economic growth trajectory, these mega-projects will carve out new contexts for domestic and international travel.
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