The South East Asia Travel Show

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.

"It is my dream for Laos to be at the centre of adventure eco-tourism in the region." Laos is a beautiful land-locked nation clad in forested mountains, but its adventure and eco-tourism sectors are still developing from a low base. This week, Gary and Hannah welcome Inthy Deuansavanh, Head of Vientiane-based Inthira Group, which owns and operates eco-minded hotels, resorts, restaurants and adventure travel experiences throughout Laos. A lifelong hiker and camping enthusiast, Inthy's journey began by opening a restaurant for tourists before he pioneered adventure-based eco-tourism and the Green Discovery Sustainability Fund. Inthy talks about the evolution of sustainable tourism experiences in Laos, and why the nation needs more eco-conscious tour operators. He discusses how the China-Laos train is opening up exploration of remote areas of beauty, and the importance of involving local communities in the tourism eco-system. Plus, what is the ‘Coffee in the Sky’ experience? And which country provides the most tourists for Inthira's adventure activities (clue: it may be a surprise, although celebrity social media influencers are a key driver)?

Indonesia is by some margin the largest country, with the largest population and largest economy, in South East Asia. It also counts a fascinating interplay between inbound and outbound travel and a vast domestic travel and tourism sector. This week, Gary and Hannah welcome back Pauline Suharno, President of ASTINDO, the Indonesian Travel Agents Association, to discuss the overall recovery in 2023, and the outlook for 2024. En route, we discuss the hot destinations for outbound tourists, the continued high cost of domestic air tickets and new travel packages for passengers jumping aboard the Whoosh high-speed rail. Plus, what's the current status of development for the 5 Super Priority Destinations? Will destinations welcome a record number of domestic travellers for the upcoming Lebaran (Eid al-Fitr) holidays? And what are the key areas to be addressed for the promotion and development of Indonesia's travel and tourism sector?

From Changi's statistical milestone to a festive travel renaissance and Taylor Diplomacy to Thailand's 'Tourism Salesman'. As  the end of Q1 2024 draws near, we move towards another major milestone. Nearly two years ago, on 1 April 2022, South East Asia began to fully reopen after the dark days of the pandemic. So, how has the first quarter of 2024 panned out, and what were the key takeaways? This week, Gary and Hannah assess the Top 8 travel and tourism talking points from throughout the region in the first three months of 2024. En route, we discuss the debut of China's C919 aircraft in ASEAN, the Thai PM's tourism pitch at ITB Berlin and higher passenger service charges in Malaysia. Plus, we look at AirAsia's plan to launch new airlines in Singapore and Vietnam and its parent company's goal of listing on the Nasdaq later this year. And we garnish each talking point with the region's latest travel statistics.

Today marks 4 years since the WHO declared Covid-19 a global pandemic on 11 March 2020. We know what happened next, especially in Asia Pacific where the impacts on travel lasted longer than elsewhere. So where is South East Asia's air travel recovery currently at – and what is the outlook for the rest of the year, and beyond? To discuss these big questions, Gary chats with Brendan Sobie, Founder of Sobie Aviation and one of the region’s most prolific aviation analysts. The discussion covers the entire aviation, airline and airport landscape. Which markets have achieved a full domestic recovery and which haven't - and will they ever do so? Is the 'post-pandemic honeymoon' period for large airline profits ending? And how are legacy carriers and LCCs positioned for the next phase of realignment? We look at the 5 busiest international airports in Asia Pacific, and the traffic shifts as competition re-intensifies. And, we address the evolution of air fares, which are moderating but "still significantly higher overall than they were". Plus we discuss higher costs for airlines, and how this makes managing yields more challenging. And we analyse the growth outlook for the region's mega-markets, China and India, influential markets, such as the Middle East, Central Asia, Japan, South Korea and Australia and intra-ASEAN trends.

Are we seeing the start of a transformation in China's travel sector? While outbound tourism grabs the headlines, a vibrant domestic travel recovery and a shift towards opening up its inbound sector garner less coverage. That is starting to change as the Chinese government expands its visa-free policy to visitors from 15 countries (11 from Europe and 4 from South East Asia). Given that inbound travel has always been a low priority, has the pandemic changed everything? And how closely is this dramatic shift aligned with a drive to attract more investment for reviving the economy? To analyse these questions, Gary is joined by Shanghai-based Yereth Jansen, China CEO of Darling Advertising and a UN Tourism consultant. We address the impact of the Covid years on China's travel economy, and the current state of the domestic recovery. Also. we assess moves to make it easier for foreign visitors to navigate their way around China and pay for products and services, and how provincial governments are developing new international marketing campaigns. Plus, we look at how live-streaming and short-video apps are gaining market share in China for selling travel products, and the pressure this places on OTAs like Ctrip - which is ramping up the APAC marketing strategy for its Trip.com brand. 

Wherever you travel in South East Asia, it’s impossible to miss that transport infrastructure is being built out on a vast scale. After the lull of the pandemic era, this will accelerate over the next decade and beyond. Airport capacities are being expanded, high-speed and urban railways constructed and even new cities built from scratch. So how will this influence the future direction of travel and tourism in the region? This week, Gary is joined by James Clark, Founder of the Future South East Asia newsletter, to assess the current status of 8 potentially game-changing travel and transport projects throughout ASEAN. From new airport terminals in Bangkok and Phnom Penh to high-speed railways in Vietnam and Thailand, we also look at the new light railway connecting southern Malaysia and Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City's debut metro line. Plus, we stop off in Indonesia to assess the progress of its new capital city, Nusantara, and the long-touted Bali Railway - which aims to reduce traffic congestion in the south of the island and speed up journeys to/from the airport.