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"The challenges around jet fuel and flight cuts are going to get worse in the region before they get better." As South East Asian countries face up to tough economic choices from the  Middle East war fallout, Gary and Hannah head to Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and China to tackle this week's big travel questions. We begin by discussing Vietnam's radical reshaping of its travel landscape and the MoUs signed last week by President To Lam with China related to cross-border railway development and Chinese COMAC planes. Next to Malaysia, where another KLIA service mishap is making headlines - this time related to the breakdown of its luggage delivery system. We look at how Singapore tourism and passenger numbers on Singapore Airlines proved resilient during a challenging first quarter of the year. Plus, we address different environmental issues for the Komodo National Park in Indonesia and the Chocolate Hills in the Philippines. Finally, we return to Singapore to discuss the role of heritage in society and its travel industry as rising costs, an ageing population and general disinterest among younger generations question the viability of traditional businesses brought to the city-state by immigrants from across Asia that are an integral part of the Singapore story.

"I wouldn't want to be either of them... What a mess to inherit" On this week’s kickstarter show, Gary and Hannah head to Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines in search of answers to the region’s big travel and tourism questions. As the Middle East war's economic impacts bite, Malaysia considers extending its year-long Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign into 2027, an arrivals slump in Boracay adds gloom to the Philippines' tourism outlook, and Thailand considers a mandate to make travel insurance mandatory for all visitors. Meanwhile, ASEAN SuperApp Grab eases into the AI travel space with a focus on hotel booking, local food and, its major play, cross-border e-payments. Plus, what's behind Garuda Indonesia's huge 2025 financial loss? ("It's still melded to its past problems"), and new Tourism Ministers are appointed in Thailand and the Philippines.

"Could South East Asia's travel landscape look different in 12-18 months time?" The economic impacts of war in the Middle East are writ large. The region imports huge quantities of oil, LNG, jet fuel, petrochemicals and fertilisers, which support businesses across many sectors. Fuel shortages are impacting the cost and supply of electricity, and governments are encouraging people and businesses to reduce energy usage. Some countries are implementing work-from-home policies, and food price inflation is already evident. But what about the travel sector? The cost and scarcity of jet fuel are among the many factors that travel and tourism players must contend with in the coming months. This week, Gary and Hannah start the weekend by addressing some of the broader outcomes of war for travel across South East Asia, Asia Pacific and beyond. What are the key lessons to be learned? How do they compare, or differ, to the Covid pandemic? And how might we be talking about these issues in 12 months time?

"Fuel now accounts for 50-55% of its operating costs. That previously was 30-35%". As we commence Week 6 of war in the Middle East, airline strategies are shifting as cost pressures intensify. South East Asia's LCCs are once again facing the financial strain. Gary and Hannah start the week in Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore, plus Türkiye, Bahrain and Taiwan, in search of answers to the region's big travel questions. En route, we discuss Batik Air's decision to cut 35% of flights in April, following flight route and frequency retrenchments by VietJet, AirAsia and Cebu Pacific. Plus, we mull over Tony Fernandes' teaser comments about a tie-up with "a very large Turkish airline," and look at why start-up carrier SunPhuQuoc Airways has chosen Taipei for its first international route. We finish with another fascinating fashion and travel collab from Singapore, where the brilliant Asian Civilisations Museum is partnering with Japanese retail brand Uniqlo.

March 2026 will not be remembered fondly across Asia, as a worsening energy crisis impacts all sectors of regional economies, including travel. Gary and Hannah review the most eventful month for South East Asia since Covid - and provide up-to-date analysis of the current situation, and what to expect next. We look at the increasing airline fuel surcharge rates being applied, including an eye-watering 157% fare increase announced today. In response, Thailand has slashed its annual visitor arrivals target and AirAsia is reviewing the inauguration of its Bahrain transcontinental hub in June. Meanwhile, developmental tourism projects are still ongoing. We discuss a major long-term investment by a Thai hotel and mall owner, plus a fascinating collaboration between Vietnam's Sun Group and Singapore's Changi Airport. And, we finish on a musical note as Hannah waxes lyrical about the Eurovision Song Contest's debut Asian edition in Bangkok later this year, while Gary gets nostalgic as the Ministry of Sound's heads to Bali for a 5-week residency.

As we enter a decisive week for Middle East warfare and diplomacy, South East Asia is watching with deepening collective and national economic concerns. Gary and Hannah start the week in Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia in search of answers to South East Asia's big travel questions. What are the implications of the upcoming ASEAN Leaders' Summit being cut to "the bare bones"? As Singapore delays implementation of its Sustainable Aviation Fuel Levy, is now the right time for Thailand to revive its THB300 Tourism Tax? Plus, cruise terminal development is a hot topic in Malaysia's Sarawak state on the island of Borneo, and Thailand wants to construct cruise terminals on the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman coast. Plus, we head to Singapore's beautifully fragrant Flower Dome, where robot smart dogs will provide new accessible tourism services.

"48% of South East Asian travel businesses believe that the prospects for their business in Q2 2026 are worse than they had anticipated at the start of the year." But, dig deeper and the opinion variances between travel industry players throughout the region are noticeable. On this week's show Hannah is in the hot seat, as Gary interviews her about a new survey report put together by her team at Pear Anderson and the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA). What have been the various impacts so far for travel businesses across South East Asia of war in the Middle East? Are inbound and outbound travel equally affected? How do travel operators view the outlook in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines? How might travel volumes shape up in Q2? Where might travel booking patterns be focused, or redirected to? Is South East Asia well placed to capture shifting demand? Will domestic travel take precedence as it did during Covid? What are the lessons from the pandemic that travel agents and tour operators are applying this time around? And how long will the tail be for the fuel crisis that is hurting economies across Asia? All this and much, much more...

Our fast-paced Monday morning Start The Week show is back. This week, Gary and Hannah stop over in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines in search of the answers to South East Asia's big travel questions. We look at the Eid holiday trends across the region and even into China, and assess an intriguing new flight service connecting Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Czech Republic. Plus, we deconstruct the reasons why Thailand's government wants to merge the Ministries of Tourism and Culture, and summarise the findings of a new report about the challenges of tourism infrastructure development in the Philippines. Plus, why hasn't the Philippines' President named a successor to the departed Secretary of Tourism? And why has an electricity pole in the Laotian capital Vientiane become a viral hit on social media? 

As the energy crisis impacts start to diversify across Asia, Gary and Hannah ask a simple question: Can K-pop save the world? This week's journey takes us from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos to Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, plus Maldives and Sri Lanka. En route we assess some of the radiating outcomes of war in the Middle East that go far beyond airlines and air connectivity. And we turn to South Korea for hope and inspiration. Will the BTS World Tour that kicks off this weekend inspire a bigger economic boom than Taylor Swift's Eras money machine? And can K-pop Demon Hunters' concert dates instil an upbeat vibe throughout the region?

“It’s a cliche to say that everything is in flux, and that there is a great deal of uncertainty across travel economies. But it’s true.” The US and Israel’s ongoing aerial bombardment of Iran and Lebanon - and the worsening unintended consequences of retaliatory strikes on energy assets and other installations across the Middle East - are raising crisis fears across Asian economies. Travel and tourism are once again in the cross-hairs, and it’s starting to feel like Covid 2.0. How are travellers, governments and travel operators responding across South East Asia – and what are the critical issues to prepare for? This week, Gary and Hannah journey through the murky waters of crisis travel economics as wartime uncertainties escalate. En route we discuss energy costs, tour cancellations, refund policies, repatriation costs, booking windows and flight re-routings. We address cost of living increases, inflation, jet fuel, fare spikes, fuel surcharges, energy subsidies, plane leasing and currency volatility. Plus, how important are Middle Eastern and European source markets for different ASEAN visitor economies? Where do Seychelles fit into the equation? And should we plan for a short-term increase of intra-regional travel?

"We don't know when this war is going to end, but already we are seeing a great degree of uncertainty return to travel and tourism in South East Asia." One week after the US and Israel began attacking Iran and Lebanon, what are the short-term outcomes for travel in the region - and what are the risks waiting up ahead? This week, Gary is in Seoul and he asks some of the structural questions the travel industry will be thinking about as a major economic shock looms. Is connective global air travel too centralised? Will Lufthansa's new Frankfurt-KL service stimulate more direct connectivity between European and South East Asian markets? How resilient is Vietnam's tourism sector beneath the bullish forecasts? Is now the right time to transition away from visitor arrivals and tourist spending as the competitive metrics? Will travel conference programmers take geo-strategy and geo-economics more seriously and start discussing them in the same detail as AI and sustainability? Above all, are regional travel economies implementing the risk mitigation strategies they should have been preparing during Covid?

"Vietnam's international air market is the biggest story in South East Asia." ASEAN's breakout travel and tourism star leads the bullish projections about air travel, but structural issues in South East Asia's biggest market, Indonesia, drag down the overall 2026 outlook. Longer-term, sustained growth is predicted, but where are the hotspots to watch, and which are the slow-motion markets? This week, Gary is joined by Singapore-based aviation consultant Brendan Sobie to dissect the travel outlook from the skies above ASEAN. En route, we discuss domestic and regional market growth factors, yields and profitability for long-haul carriers, and the divergence between peak and off-peak demand, fares and load factors. While aircraft manufacturers classify South East Asia as the world's fastest growing air market, we check the pulse of key markets, like Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand - and assess the evolving influences of Asia's two mega-markets, China and India 

From hotels on petrol (gas) station forecourts in Thailand to Singapore's ingenious tourism match-making scheme... On our fast-paced Start The Week show, Gary and Hannah stop over in Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and India in search of the answers to travel's big questions. We begin by discussing ASEAN representation on the Gaza Board of Peace, aircraft orders tied to tariff negotiations and whether the Indonesia-US trade deals still stands. Plus, can Malaysia become "Asia Pacific's most connected nation" by 2030? Why is Farm Tourism sowing collaborative seeds in the Philippines? And Why is Vietnam emerging as a hot vegetarian destination for Indian tourists? Plus, why are we talking about Aunties Not Algorithms? And will more South East Asian countries convert petrol (gas) stations into hotels as the region transitions to EVs?

Where will Chinese tourists head for the longest Spring Festival holiday in history? How will regional travel hold up for the Lunar New Year break? And will the close proximity of the LNY and the Eid holiday seasons influence travel patterns in parts of South East Asia? On our fast-paced Start The Week show, Gary and Hannah stop over in,Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Bahrain, London & Amsterdam in search of the answers to travel's big questions. En route, we discuss short-term rental sector challenges in the Philippines, and European flight expansions by Air Asia X, Vietnam Airlines & Thai Airways. Plus, we find out how much travellers would be prepared to pay to drive across the planned bridge connecting eastern Thailand with Koh Samui - and how would this affect the popular ferry routes?

Who listens to The South East Asia? Where? And Why? In the past 12 months, our weekly podcast was downloaded in 116 countries - the most in a calendar year since we launched in 2020. Listeners log on each week from Algeria to Fiji, Germany to Macau, Peru to Sweden, and Turkey to Vietnam. Our top 5 listener markets are the US, Australia, UK, Thailand and Singapore. In this short introduction, Gary and Hannah guide you through some of the reasons why listeners from around the world keep tuning in to our little show written and produced in Kuala Lumpur!