The South East Asia Travel Show

"A groundbreaking moment in the history of rail travel in South East Asia." Wherever you travel in South East Asia, it’s hard to miss the transport infrastructure being built out on a vast scale – often with financing and technology from China. This will be a feature through the 2020s and beyond - albeit with countries like Japan, South Korea and maybe India joining in. This week, Gary is joined by James Clark, Producer of the Future Southeast Asia newsletter, to discuss the region's Top 10 airport, high-speed rail and other travel and transport infrastructure projects. These range from new airport terminals in Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia to South East Asia's first high-speed railway due to open later this year, and another scheduled for 2026. Plus we discuss a metro system in Vietnam, a railway upgrade connecting Bangkok and Thailand's southern beaches - and the potential issues for passengers ahead of the cross-border opening of the China-Laos railway.

"It just doesn't feel like a living Vietnamese town." Environmental impact, carbon emissions and artificial intelligence (AI) are three of the hottest topics in tourism. This week, Gary & Hannah welcome back Bali-based Stuart McDonald, Founder of Travelfish, to take on these vital talking points. Stuart recently travelled through Vietnam, where he tracked his carbon footprint using the Capture and Path Net Zero apps. He discusses his findings and observations while travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi by train. Stuart also discusses the contrasting challenges (and current outcomes) for tourism in Hoi An and Hue. Taking a tangential turn, we chat about AI chatbots in tourism, and the building of AI-generated content into travel products and information services. Rounding out the discussion, we address a phantom train in Cambodia (which tops the search rankings) and diving in Raja Ampat in Indonesia. And listen out for the rooster!

2023 is a vital year for travel and tourism in South East Asia and Asia Pacific. January was a fascinating kick-start month for the region's visitor economies. China reopened its airport gates, albeit gradually, the Lunar New Year launched the domestic and outbound travel calendar and tourism boards set out their (initial) 2023 visitor forecasts. On today's show, Gary and Hannah review January's Top 10 travel talking points and discuss what they could mean for the 12 months ahead. The journey takes us to 9 countries around the region. En route, we assess the return of Chinese tour groups to 7 ASEAN countries, discuss airport capacity in Vietnam and Thailand and address an administrative bottleneck for the Laos-China train. Plus we talk sales tax refunds in Philippines, tourism villages in Indonesia, sky-high hotel rates in Singapore and two Malaysian Prime Ministers challenged in the courts over an aborted high-speed rail project. Phew!

It's January and almost Lunar New Year - so it's time to look forward with both hope and a dash of realism. So, what does the 2023 travel year promise for countries across South East Asia, the travel industry and travellers themselves? This year, Gary and Hannah are joined by Karen Yue, Group Editor of TTG Asia, to discuss the 15 travel trends, initiatives and developments that we'll be watching closely in 2023. En route, we assess the enduring impacts of the Great Resignation, the region's changing demographics in travel and profitability vs demand in the new travel economy. We address the evolving role of NTOs and the elevated importance of niche and special interest tourism segments. Plus, we talk tech with travel fintech, e-payments and CBDCs, and metaverse and mixed-reality marketing in tourism - is it bluff, reality or is the jury still out?

So, here it is… the first episode of 2023. As we roll into our 4th year of The South East Asia Travel Show, there's only one place to begin. China’s reopening currently dominates all analysis of travel and tourism. So it’s  fitting that we welcome to the show a long-time friend, Prof. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, CEO of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI). Flipping our usual format, Hannah interviews Wolfgang and Gary, who will co-publish The 2023 China Outbound Tourism Handbook, on 22 January.

Here is the full interview question list:

1. Talk us through what actually changed on 8 January in terms of border policies

So, here it is… our end of year review show. And what a year it’s been. As we celebrate the 3rd anniversary of The South East Asia Travel Show, it’s a pleasure to look ahead to a New Year with “cautious optimism.” Rounding out 2022, Gary and Hannah select 10 top talking points that define the rollercoaster ride over the past 12 months. En route, we journey to Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, plus India, China, Japan and 27 EU nations. We discuss new airlines, a major airline investment, sky-high hotel rates, the return of MICE, a media furore about Indonesia's new Criminal Code and much more. Plus, we remember some of the Covid-era aspects of daily life that disappeared from view as 2022 progressed.

2022 was the year that South East Asia reopened for travel. It's been a highly compressed year, with most countries only welcoming back tourists in the second quarter. Many lessons have been learned, and many markets are still coming to terms with the myriad impacts of the pandemic. This week, Gary and Hannah team up with Brett Henry, President of B2B hospitality marketplace MG Group, for a livestream event assessing South East Asia’s travel recovery in 2022 – and looking ahead to 2023. Some key factors stand out: the continued absence of Chinese travellers, higher priced air tickets and reduced flight frequencies. So how will (or won't) 2023 be different? Which factors will drive the travel economy rebound? How will competition from destinations like Japan, South Korea and Australia impact the recovery in South East Asia? Where will domestic travel fit in? And what are the projections for developing trends, such as virtual credit card payments?

The G20 Summit. A proposed aerotropolis. Resolution of a long-running passport saga. A new direct flight service with Canada. It's been another busy period for travel news as the region's recovery gains traction. This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the top 8 travel and tourism developments from across South East Asia. The journey takes us to 8 of the 10 countries of ASEAN, plus Japan, China, India and Taiwan. So, which country expects 60 million domestic travellers over Christmas and New Year? Where is forecasting 2 million annual inbound visitors in 2022 rising to 7.5 million in 2028? Which nation was among the top 4 visitor markets to Japan in October? And which government finally removed testing requirements for unvaccinated visitors? All this, and much more...

Test & Go. Vaccinated Travel Lanes. 'The Most Open Country in South East Asia.' One year ago, on 1 November 2021, Thailand introduced the Test & Go tourism entry policy. In the same month, Singapore accelerated its Vaccinated Travel Lanes and Cambodia made travel easier for visitors than anywhere else. This week, Gary and Hannah rewind to November 2021 – the month that reignited travel in South East Asia after 20 months of lockdowns and labyrinthine travel restrictions. Thailand and Singapore claimed the headlines, although their reopening strategies contrasted notably. Cambodia made the fullest reopening move, but garnered less media attention. Elsewhere, Malaysia and Vietnam launched Sandbox-style schemes on the islands and Langkawi and Phu Quoc. Twelve months on, how should we reflect on those progressive, yet imperfect, government-driven efforts to reboot travel and tourism? And how has the language of travel changed in the interim?