The South East Asia Travel Show The South East Asia Travel Show

From "Everyone wants to go to Japan" to "Thailand's on the verge of over-tourism" to "Three towers with a surf board on top". Welcome to our new monthly mini-roundup of the key moments from recent podcast discussions and interviews. During April, Philip See, Group Chief Sustainability Officer & CEO of Loyalty and Travel Solutions of the Malaysia Aviation Group, discusses the sustainable aviation challenges and opportunities in South East Asia. Plus, we head to Japan to break down the astonishing surge of inbound travel from South East Asia to one of Asia Pacific's hottest destinations. We tackle the re-emergence (or otherwise) of Thailand's THB300 tourism tax, and Hannah consults Google Maps to locate the under-development fourth tower of Singapore's iconic Marina Bay Sands resort. All this and much more in our April rewind. 

“Whatever happened to ‘Quality Tourism’?” As we complete one-third of 2024, what were the top 8 travel talking points in April? Gary and Hannah journey across the region, with stops in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, China and Dubai. We analyse the increase in Chinese arrivals to ASEAN & Asia Pacific in Q1, and preview the May Labour Day holiday. We review travel volumes during the Songkran, Eid/Lebaran and Khmer New Year travel periods. Plus, a Thai tourism leader calls for a new visitor levy to battle over-tourism in primary destinations, while Malaysian budget hoteliers raise their rates. We assess the regional aviation impact of Dubai’s catastrophic flooding and the eruption of Mt Ruang in Indonesia. Plus, Bali raises a Dengue Fever alert and Singapore hits 95% of its pre-pandemic monthly arrivals in March - partly thanks to a certain tortured pop poet.

Travel and tourism in South East Asia are heavily stat-driven. Indeed, 2024 is turning out to be a year of shouting loudly about milestones and 2019 catch-ups across the region. So, this week, Hannah and Gary assess 8 hot numerical topics, taking us to Singapore, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Japan. En route, we deconstruct the 2023 total of 100 million arrivals to South East Asia, and analyse the Q1 figures in key markets. Thailand is out front in ASEAN, while Japan is breaking monthly records in North East Asia - with strong support from South East Asian travellers. Plus, will the 6-nation ASEAN border-free travel visa get off the ground? When are Vietnam's 2 high-speed rail routes to China slated to begin construction? How has Malaysia achieved an 85% growth in cruise port visits compared to pre-pandemic? Plus, how many passengers rode the China-Laos railway in its first 12 months, and why is the 4th tower at a Singapore tourism icon gaining media coverage across Asia Pacific? 

As sustainability targets in aviation gain sharper focus, airlines and governments in South East Asia are racing to implement strategies. These range from sustainable aviation fuel levies to in-house trainings. With news this week that Malaysia plans to implement a carbon levy, Hannah picks the perfect time to discuss a broad range of issues with Philip See, Group Chief Sustainability Officer & CEO of Loyalty and Travel Solutions, of the Malaysia Aviation Group. This compelling chat takes us back to the pandemic when Malaysia Airlines, Firefly, AMAL and MASWings were restructured and recapitalised, and the subsequent strategy shifts in operations, marketing, ancillary services - and sustainability. The discussion dives deeply into key issues around SAF, such as production, procurement and formulation, and whether costs will be passed onto passengers. Philip also discusses socially sustainable initiatives, such as recruiting and training female aviation engineers and pilots, and environmental issues that extend beyond emissions, such as managing waste.

Well, we’ve completed the first quarter of 2024 – where did that go? March was another frenetic month, with plenty of travel and tourism news, statistics, announcements and pronouncements. So where is South East Asia at exactly 2 years after the region began to reopen after the pandemic? Gary and Hannah discuss March’s Top 8 talking points, with stop-offs in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and China. En route, we analyse potential legislative shifts for Marriage Equality and Casino Gaming in Thailand, Singapore's World’s Best MICE City campaign and Vietnam's Q1 arrivals surpassing the same 2019 period. Plus, illegal resort development in a protected area of the Philippines, the launch of AirAsia Cambodia and Bali's Tourism Tax leakages. And is China this year's hottest outbound destination for South East Asian travellers?
 

Welcome to our new monthly mini-roundup of the key moments from The South East Asia Travel Show’s recent editions. The March rewind features red-hot talking points including ASEAN's domestic and international flight recovery, Indonesia's most popular outbound destinations, the opportunities for adventure travel in Laos and China's remarkable inbound tourism policy shift. We also discuss Thailand's Prime Minister becoming the nation's pre-eminent tourism salesman, and the passing on of travel costs to tourists and travellers around the region. Plus, could Vietnam build a high-speed train connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in just five hours? Many thanks to our expert guests this month: Pauline Suharno in Indonesia, Inthy Deuansavanh in Laos, Brendan Sobie in Singapore, James Clark in Australia and Yereth Jansen in China.