The South East Asia Travel Show

The Outlook for Travel & Tourism in Vietnam, with Mike Tatarski, Vietnam Weekly

Boosted by a population surpassing 100 million, Vietnam counts one of the region’s fastest growing travel and aviation markets. To assess the outlook for tourism in 2024, Gary and Hannah welcome back Ho Chi Minh City-based Mike Tatarski, founder of the Vietnam Weekly newsletter. We begin by recapping the 2023 recovery for inbound, outbound and domestic travel, and dissect the top visitor markets. We discuss the challenges for the air market, particularly with high prices irking domestic passengers and the financial struggles of Bamboo Airways. Transport infrastructure remains a hot topic. We assess the progress of new airport developments in Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces, and the latest status of the much-hyped North-South high-speed railway. Plus, we talk overdevelopment in Phu Quoc, environmental management in Halong Bay, and why Japan is such a popular destination for Vietnamese tourists. 

The 2024 Travel & Tourism Wishlist for South East Asia

As we begin the second full calendar year of travel and tourism in South East Asia since the pandemic, it’s time to look ahead at what 2024 might offer. This week, Gary and Hannah discuss their Top 10 list of travel and tourism wishes, expectations and forecasts for 2024. It’s going to a be competitive and challenging year, but scratching beneath the surface what are the critical issues to be addressed? We expect visa waivers will be a key destination battleground, ponder whether ASEAN should create a statistical standard for benchmarking tourist arrivals and talk tough on Revenge Travel and Generative AI. We analyse the transformative impacts of climate change and extreme weather for travel across the region, and address the 'Say-Do' sustainability gap for Asian travellers. Plus, why is the Weekend Economy a topic of interest to watch in 2024, and could Thailand enjoy a signifiant diversity boost for tourism this year?

2023 in Review: This Year’s Top 10 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia

The first full calendar year of travel and tourism in South East Asia since the pandemic is almost complete. And what a dramatic 12 months it has been. To take stock, Gary and Hannah have created a list of the Top 10 travel and tourism talking points in South East Asia and beyond in 2023. Our review of the year journeys from Indonesia to China, via Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. En route, we discuss the region's first high-speed railway, the return of visa waivers and a ban on short-term rentals. We assess why three island destinations in the region are struggling to recover and the shifting travel payments landscape. Plus, we tap into music tourism and a boost for hotel bookings by the Time Person of the Year, and Malaysia's late-year statistical surprise. 

Reflections on a Hectic Year of Travel in South East Asia and Beyond, with Vincent Vichit-Vadakan

Just back from Jakarta and Hanoi, respectively, Gary and Hannah can confirm that South East Asian airports are getting busier as the end-of-year travel season nears. So, it's the perfect time to revisit some key tourism themes in 2023 with Bangkok-based travel journalist Vincent Vichit-Vadakan. Vincent was last on the show in April 2022, when the regional outlook was very different. This year, he has travelled on assignment to over 25 destinations including Singapore and Vietnam on various occasions, plus China, Nepal and Maldives. We discuss the current tourism landscape in Thailand, and the explosive international growth of a Bangkok-based hotel brand. We tackle infrastructure challenges for tourism in Vietnam, talk sustainable hotel development in Singapore, discover outdoor experiences along the Tea Horse Trail in China's Yunnan Province and explore Kyoto as tourism returns to Japan. Plus, which airports in South East Asia are operating more effectively than others? And why is Soft Power set to be a tourism battleground in 2024?

The Top 8 Statistical Talking Points in Travel & Tourism in South East Asia

From 9 to 4 trillion. South East Asia its awash with travel stats. Figures and percentages garner extra importance as we near the year end, and the travel industry plans ahead for 2024. This week, Gary and Hannah go behind the scenes of statistical storytelling, and uncover some fascinating travel and tourism talking points. En route, we travel to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam via Singapore, the Philippines, China and Japan. Key issues discussed from a statistical perspective include the current state of ASEAN's aviation recovery and the tapering of domestic travel in certain markets. Plus, how high is the potential value of 'Soft Power Tourism' in Thailand? and how much is being invested in non-casino attractions in Singapore and Macau? And which 4 South East Asian nations are among Japan's Top 10 inbound markets in 2023, and in which country are 9 new airlines readying for take-off?

The Top 8 Under-the-Radar Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia

Could Brunei become a regional aviation hub connecting China and South East Asia? And how might AI, humanoid simulants and an apocalyptic sci-fi landscape boost movie tourism in Thailand? This week, Gary and Hannah have created a list of 8 travel developments that may not make major headlines, but are still highly interesting. These  tourism talking points that snuck under the radar take us from Singapore to Brunei, Indonesia to China and Thailand to Japan. En route, we discuss a start-up airline that plans to fly Chinese-made passenger jets, the story of a shattered glass tourism bridge in Indonesia and a proposed tourism theme park on the border between Thailand, Laos and China. Plus we tackle a new tourism and trade agreement between Japan and the Philippines, and address the aviation and arrivals slowdown in Singapore. Is this a barometer for the rest of South East Asia?

The Top 8 Travel & Tourism Talking Points in South East Asia in October 2023

So, we are on the final stretch for 2023 - with 10 months down, 2 to go. While this historically marks a busy part of the calendar for travel in South East Asia, it’s also a time when jitters start setting in for the new year ahead. So where are we at? This week, Gary and Hannah discuss October’s Top 8 travel talking points, which take us from Thailand to Indonesia, Malaysia to Vietnam and Cambodia to the Philippines. En route, we discuss the latest arrivals figures and an interesting UNWTO tourism measurement pilot programme in the Philippines. Two regional airlines collapsed in October and another is preparing to list on the Nasdaq. Meanwhile, are slumping currencies starting to impact tourism activity? Plus, Indonesia launched WHOOSH, South East Asia's first high-speed railway, and Cambodia inaugurated a new international airport. Finally, what do the “Two Countries, One Destination” and “Three Countries, One Destination” taglines refer to - and to whom do they matter more, politicians or travellers?
 
 
.

AI, OTAs, Payments & Ancillary Revenues for Independent Hotels, with Vikram Malhi, Zuzu Hospitality

"AI will fundamentally change the way people travel, the way OTAs work and how hotels have to adapt. We are still in the very early stages." Golden Week is behind us, and travel players are looking ahead to hotel bookings, rates and revenues for the end-of-year tourism season and Lunar New Year. So it’s a great time for Gary and Hannah to welcome Vikram Malhi, Founder and CEO of Singapore-based Zuzu Hospitality to the show. Vikram worked for leading OTAs before setting up his own company, which supports independent hotels to manage all aspects related to payments, revenues and online distribution. We discuss the hotel sector rebound in key markets like Bangkok, Phuket, Jakarta and Bali. And, we assess the outlook for Chinese tourism into South East Asia, and the impressive expansion of India's outbound market. Plus, we tackle the next phase of development of AI solutions for OTAs and hotels, and the ongoing resource challenges across the hospitality industry. Finally, as we move towards wrapping up 2023, what might be some of the key industry trends in 2024?