Vietnam is the most dynamic and talked-about travel market in South East Asia. The nation's economic growth, which outpaces China and India, made the cover of The Economist last week. Global leaders jet in and out for trade talks, and foreign investment has flooded in. Meantime, Vietnam is developing one of ASEAN's largest airports and its most ambitious high-speed railway. But what happens next, especially with the spectre of 46% US trade tariffs? To deconstruct the key elements of travel, tourism and national economic and social development, Gary chats with Dr Nuno Ribeiro, Senior Lecturer at RMIT University in Ho Chi Minh City. Nuno is an experienced tourism and hospitality management academic, consultant and speaker, and has held senior roles in academia and industry across the US, Canada, Portugal, and Vietnam. In a broad-ranging chat, we discuss the interaction between Vietnam's surging inbound, outbound and domestic travel sectors, and the role of tourism in national branding and projecting soft power. Plus, how high is the 'glass ceiling' for travel growth? We also discuss the perceptions (and employment power) of Vietnamese tourism and hospitality students, the influence of AI in hotel management education - and the role of sustainability in shaping the attitudes of tomorrow's travel industry leaders.

Since the turn of the year, Gary and Hannah have been travelling across South East Asia and worldwide, speaking at various travel conferences. So, this week, we’ve compiled a long list of the most ubiquitous concepts, words and phrases we’ve encountered on stage and in the venue break-out spaces and receptions. We discuss the current contexts around popular buzzwords such as Authentic Experiences, Hyper-Personalisation, Seamless Trips and Frictionless Travel. We wonder where the Visa-Free Access debate goes next, and applaud the greater integration of Muslim Tourism themes into travel conference planning. Of course, we can't leave out Over-tourism, Agentic AI, Gen Zs, Digital Arrival Cards and Chatbots, and we make a forecast about how Trump Tariffs will be discussed in a travel context across the rest of 2025. Plus, what happened to Super Apps, the Metaverse and our most disliked phrase "Owning the Customer"?

AI and Sustainability are hotly debated topics in travel. But how might new policies and regulations in these areas impact future interactions between travellers, suppliers, booking platforms and governments? This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the current landscape for OTAs, sustainability and AI policy development with Yang Li, Head of Public Affairs, Asia Pacific, at Booking.com. Which ASEAN and APAC countries are developing structured legal frameworks around sustainability? And how prepared are businesses region-wide for the EU Greenwashing Claims Directive, which is due to enter into force in 2026? Yang selects some key findings from Booking.com's 9th global Sustainability Report, and their applicability to ASEAN markets. We also touch on sustainable tourism target setting, certifications and investment, and the current state of the Intention vs Action gap. Plus, what are 'closed loop' AI trip-planning tools, and how are travellers using them? How will the interface between OTAs and AI agents shape up? And will Asian governments continue their light touch approach to AI regulation, or are new legal frameworks on the horizon?   

South East Asia comprises 10 diverse nations and nearly 700 million people spread across a vast landmass. Consequently, the numbers are often large, impactful and scaleable - and travel and tourism are no exceptions. This week, Gary and Hannah select the Top 8 statistical talking points from across the region. These cover inbound and outbound travel, ASEAN vs APAC airline seat capacity, the Hajj pilgrimage from Indonesia, human capital development in Vietnam – and electrified living everywhere. Plus, can Love Win All in Thailand? Which capital city is spending almost USD200 million on urban heritage revitalisation? And which country is surging far ahead of the pack for year-on year tourism arrivals growth? Plus, much more...

April began with the announcement of US "reciprocal tariffs", which ranged from 10% to 49% on exports from South East Asian nations. This has created toxic uncertainty across all industries in the region, notably business travel. But before the tariff turmoil, Q1 had delivered mixed results for travel and tourism, with the Eid al-Fitr holiday numbers particularly weak in Malaysia and Indonesia. Was this the result of the Lunar New Year and Eid public holidays being in the same quarter, or are we at the start of a cyclical travel slowdown in ASEAN? On our monthly roundup, Gary and Hannah assess the latest data and insights gleaned from attending and speaking at travel industry events throughout the month. Plus, Thailand plans to reframe its 2025 tourism strategy after reducing its revenue forecast, Vietnam experiences glitches at the opening of a new airport terminal, and China and Malaysia extend their bilateral visa-free access agreement. And, Indonesia and UN Tourism unveil a detailed set of tourism investment guidelines, Balis vows to enforce new behavioural rules for tourists, and more South East Asian vacationers are heading to Macau.  

Casino Tourism. Concert & Event Tourism. Medical Tourism. The Night Economy. Live-streaming. Public-Private Tourism Partnerships. Many of the hot topics related to Macau's diversification of its tourism economy and inbound market mix bear similarities to countries in South East Asia. There are two key differences, however. 1) Macau is the world city most reliant on tourism income as a proportion of GDP due to casino tourism, and it famously outstripped Las Vegas for gaming revenue in 2006. 2) Macau is 22 times smaller than Singapore, but last year attracted more than twice the total of visitors. To reduce its heavy reliance on visitors from China and Hong Kong, Macau is aggressively marketing to South East Asian travellers - and with some success. To assess the future outlook, Gary is joined by Glenn McCartney, Associate Professor of Integrated Resort & Tourism Management at the University of Macau, and a Tourism and Hospitality Consultant and Executive Trainer. He worked in Macau's hospitality industry during the handover from Portugal to China in 1999, and undertook research for the Macau Government on tourism and gaming development during the casino liberalisation period of the early 2000s. Together, Gary and Glenn unpack the challenges ahead for Macau's next phase of tourism economy development, and assess how the tiny island city is confronting new competition in casino tourism, as Japan, Thailand and the UAE covet this highly lucrative sector.

What connects CNN, Coldplay, Bollywood, The White Lotus, Bluey, Minecraft and K-dramas? All are linked to the burgeoning trend of representing tourism destinations in TV series, movies, videos, documentaries and computer games. This week, Gary and Hannah assess the top 8 TV and Movie Tourism talking points in ASEAN, Asia Pacific and beyond. The global journey takes us from Jakarta, Koh Samui and Singapore to Seoul, Jeju Island and Okinawa - and beyond to the UK, New Zealand and Australia. En route, we discuss the influence of micro-dramas, Ne Zha 2 and Black Myth: Wuking on domestic tourism in China. We look at the darker side of tourism on screen, including No More Bets, The Beach, Iseltwald and the filming issues around The Expats in Hong Kong. Plus we tap into the changing role of tourism boards and travel suppliers in destination placement, assess the surging growth of on-location cookery shows, and explore how Netflix is financing local TV productions to promote culture, heritage and tourism in Indonesia and South Korea for domestic and regional audiences. 

"ASEAN, being the fifth largest economy in the world, is deeply concerned over the recent introduction of unilateral tariffs by the US, including the tariffs announced on 2 April and subsequently the suspension on 9 April... [These] will impact economic security and stability, affect livelihoods of millions of people in the region, and hinder economic progress in ASEAN, particularly less developed economies." It's unusual for ASEAN to word its statements so strongly. This week's response highlights the diplomatically disguised fury throughout the Asia Pacific region. As the US government seeks to isolate China, trade diplomacy between nations across South East Asia and North East Asia is at its most frenetic level for many years. But as China, Malaysia (as ASEAN Chair), Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Australia try to coordinate their responses, what does it all mean for travel and tourism in South East Asia? And what about India? On today's show, Gary discusses the latest regional updates and cautions against making "long-term forecasts of more than 24 hours ahead" given the precarious nature of US policymaking. Nevertheless, the current situation is a crisis, despite Trump's large-scale backtrack earlier this week, because of the centrality of China to all things economic across Asia Pacific. 

What will the new round of US protectionist trade tariffs mean for the economies of ASEAN and Asia Pacific? Over the past seven days, we'e seen stock markets crash, currencies come under pressure and governments entering into panic mode. The long-term shockwaves for the global and regional economies are uncertain, and the fallout for the travel industry is still speculative. In the first of a two-part podcast, Gary navigates through the headline news of the past week, addresses the rationale for the exceptionally high tariff rates slapped on several ASEAN economies, and the reasons that governments are not retaliating. He also discusses why Vietnam is the high-watermark case study, with perhaps the most at stake, and the options open to its trade negotiators to shore up the short-term damage and re-plan for the future. Part 2, coming later this week, will delve into the intra-ASEAN implications, the view from China and the outlook for travel and tourism across the region. 

"It's cheaper to fly from Jakarta to KL, Bangkok or even Japan than to Manado." Indonesia is South East Asia's largest country and largest economy, and has a fascinating, fast-changing travel landscape. This week, Hannah welcomes back to the show Jakarta-based Pauline Suharno, President of ASTINDO, the Indonesian travel agents association, to assess the outlook for travel and tourism. Pauline discusses the progress of a new Indonesia Tourism Board, and a range of new train tourism packages. She also addresses the impacts of government budget cuts on hotels and travel businesses in second-tier cities. Outbound travel is flourishing despite a weak rupiah and visa hurdles to jump, but where are the hot destinations for Indonesian tourists? Plus, what is the "McDonalds of travel", will new airlines get off the ground, and why are domestic airfares so expensive?

It's been a while! Our last show trailer was recorded in 2022, so we are long overdue an update. Find out more about the podcast, the presenters, Gary and Hannah, our global listener base and our monthly schedule. This 90-second summary gives you the inside track on The South East Asia Travel Show as we accelerate through our 6th year. 

"Should South East Asian nations be worried by moves in South Korea and Türkiye to attract more Chinese and Russian tourists?" March proved to be the most fascinating month so far in 2025 for travel and tourism talking points in South East Asia. For our regular monthly rewind, Gary and Hannah travel through Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos and The Philippines, plus China, South Korea and, rare for us, Turkiye. En route, we discuss the possibility of Chinese COMAC planes flying in Vietnam and Laos, Thailand cutting its visa-free stay from 60 to 30 days and new flight connections to Cambodia ahead of the nation's new airport opening in July. Plus, we look at the forensic tourism planning behind Singapore securing Lady Gaga's Asia-exclusive concerts in May, and assess the impact of Indonesia's currency slump on domestic, inbound and outbound travel. And we pack in casino tourism, cruise travel and a touted new airline in ASEAN's largest air market. 

"The term 'sustainable tourism' has been bankrupted. It's meaningless now". None of the environmental and social issues confronting tourism are new, but how do we address them more realistically? How can travellers tread more lightly and be less impactful on the places and communities they visit? What is "Less Bad Travel"? How does it differ from staple travel industry terms, such as responsible tourism? This week, Hannah is joined by Bali-based Stuart McDonald, founder of Travelfish and a highly experienced South East Asia travel editor, writer and trip advisor, to navigate the way forward for low-impact travel. Don't expect standard jargon or easy rhetoric. Stuart challenges the tropes we often hear, and is especially scathing about sustainable tourism certifications. Plus, we discuss the impact of AI on hotel employment, The White Lotus in Thailand and responsible diving. And, Stuart sets out his plans for an epic 64-day overland trip from Jakarta to Leeds to collect his MSc in Responsible Tourism Management.

Five years ago today, on 11 March 2020, everything changed. The WHO declared a global pandemic, and South East Asia embarked on two years of border closures, lockdowns and quarantine mandates that suffocated international travel. Meanwhile, several potential solutions were proposed (and tested) to revive travel and tourism despite the logistical challenges and governmental restrictions. On today’s show, Gary and Hannah reassess 12 Covid-era travel and tourism issues that redefined the decade. En route, we reassess the factors shaping Travel Bubbles, Vaccinated Travel Lanes and Cruises to Nowhere. We dissect the long-term importance of the Phuket Sandbox, the legacy of domestic tourism incentive programmes and the scale of ASEAN airline turnarounds. And, after two exhausting years of regional fear, uncertainty and economic damage, which South East Asian country was the first to reopen its borders?

"South East Asia is where the excitement is because it is a fast-growing inbound tourism region for Australia." As we approach the 5th anniversary of the WHO declaring a pandemic on 11 March 2020, it's a good time to discuss emerging developments in Australia's visitor economy. This week, Gary welcomes Garrett Tyler-Parker, Director of Analysis & Insights at Tourism Research Australia, part of the Australian Trade & Investment Commission (AusTrade). We discuss Australia's Thrive 2030 strategy, which is transitioning from 'recovery' to 'consolidation' phase, and the variable rates of inbound recovery from key Asian markets. Garrett explains the diverse factors influencing 2024's arrivals statistics from China, India and South East Asian markets. While visitors from Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia now exceed 2019 levels, Malaysia's post-Covid rebound has been slow. Plus, we look at evolving trends among holiday, VFR, education and blended travellers, and the growth of investment in travel infrastructure and services. As the dynamics of travel continue to change, we also discuss how Tourism Research Australia monitors social, environmental and institutional, as well as economic, metrics.

Where 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?

Vietnam 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. 

“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.

“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.

The 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.