Trip.com's Record Fine, Singapore Airlines' Topsy-Turvy Financials & AI vs Tour Guides: Start the Weekend with The South East Asia Travel Show

"What a turbulent seven months 2026 has delivered so far." As we say goodbye to July, Gary and Hannah review the latest hot topics in travel and tourism from across South East Asia, China and India, and look ahead to the rest of the year. We begin by breaking down the multi-billion RMB fine imposed by China's anti-trust regulator on Trip.com, the nation's largest OTA, for "monopolistic practices". From China we head to Malaysia, where an unexpected F1 Grand Prix race is raising the tourism temperature. Next to Singapore, where the national carrier, Singapore Airlines, enjoyed record quarterly revenue and thriving passenger demand offset by a stinging 78.5% rise in fuel costs. We look at Cambodia Airlines' order for 20 COMAC aircraft and Thai AirAsia's decision to suspend nine domestic flight routes from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi until October. Will they be reinstated for peak season? Plus, we look at Singapore's upcoming concert tourism season from the perspective of the Indian media, assess the impact of AI on tour guiding - and finish with a humorous story about a jail stay request in the Philippines.