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As we march through Q4, upbeat news is in short supply across the region's travel industry. This week's round-up of South East Asia's top talking points takes Gary and Hannah to Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Australia, Kazakhstan, Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia. With markets abuzz about earnings season, Singapore reports downbeat spending and arrivals numbers, and the best-case scenario for the Philippines in 2026 is flat versus 2025. Meanwhile, regional governments issue travel safety warnings for Saudi Arabia and airlines cancel flights after the deadly attack on Riyadh airport. Plus, we discuss the new IMF/World Bank 'Bangkok Blueprint' to tackle cyber-fraud just as 5-star hotels and resorts in Vietnam and Cambodia are linked to financial scams. Why hasn't the travel industry stepped up to the plate? Extending the gloom, Bali confronts fuel shortages, and the plantation burning-smoke haze that has smothered Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore since August is now impacting the Philippines, Timor Leste, parts of Australia and southern Thailand. On the upside, Russia grants visa-free access to Vietnamese travellers, Indonesia presents the 'Camino de Flores' spiritual route and the Australian media gets excited about a Vietjet route to Prague. We're both heading to Singapore next week to speak and moderate at ITB Asia, but we'll be back with a full report, and hopefully some more inspiring news, in two weeks' time...

"Vietnam is riding a tourism rocket ship, and is on a totally different trajectory to the rest of South East Asia." As we accelerate through October, this was another week packed with hot travel and tourism topics to discuss. To kickstart the weekend, Gary and Hannah journey across ASEAN and beyond with stopovers in Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Laos, Russia and India. We assess Phu Quoc's dramatic tourism surge to already surpass its 2026 visitor target. Can it keep expanding, and where is the ceiling? Plus, KL and Singapore have been running each other close all week for an undesirable global title. We stop in Laos, Cambodia and India for the latest on scam centres, some of which are allegedly being run from hotel rooms, and discuss why the Philippines is belatedly setting a 2030 target for sustainable aviation fuel. Meanwhile, Thailand moves a closer to taxing inbound tourists - and possibly charging them again when they depart - and Malaysia steps up its efforts to secure more tourists from Russia by negotiating a bilateral visa-free agreement and direct flights between the two countries. All this and much more...

Digital Twins. Automated Ground Operations. Predictive Sustainability. Humanoid Robots. E-Gates. Urban Air Transport. Inter-modality. South East Asia’s air landscape is changing before our eyes, as air travel volumes increase and passenger expectations are constantly upgrading. These factors broaden the range of operational challenges for major hub airports, fast-growing airports in tier-two and tier-three cities and the new mega-airports opening from Singapore to the Philippines and Australia to Vietnam. Can AI and intelligent technologies improve the management of busier skies and more crowded departures and arrivals lounges without the need to build bigger terminals? This week, Gary dives into the AI, autonomous and smart tech airport revolution with Shantanu Gangakedkhar, Principal Consultant - Aerospace & Defense at Frost & Sullivan. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Shantanu recently wrote a White Paper called Next Generation Airports: Building Intelligent, Agile and Future Ready Airports in Asia - and he shares his insights about how AI technologies will transform the often disjointed processes of departing and arriving by plane across ASEAN and Asia Pacific. En route, we discuss the divergent tech needs of airlines and airport operators, and non-intrusive solutions to enhance passenger and digital security. Plus, how will robots improve airport services? And how are predictive AI tools enabling airports to plan for major weather events, such as floods or haze, and fast-paced micro-climate changes across an airfield and its terminals?

"If you go back three of four years, you'd have expected Singapore to take the lead on such a regionally important project - but now it's Vietnam." That seems significant. With three quarters of 2026 completed, pan-Asian air travel networks look rather different from the start of the year. The 9th month of the year, September, featured a raft of intriguing developments across South East Asia, plus China, Australia and Canada. On this week's show, Gary and Hannah track back through a highly consequential month and the implications for the crucial end-of-year travel period and into 2027. En route, we assess Vietnam's app-based ID card integration pilot project with Singapore and Laos for air travellers at two airports, and Vietjet's ambitions in contrasting global markets: the US and Australia. Plus, we address the impacts of catastrophic flooding in Bangkok and throughout Thailand, the grim continuation of fire-smoke haze blighting Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, while typhoon season proves deadly in Japan. Plus, why is Air Canada opening up to Vietnam but closing down to Singapore? And will the accelerating race to open one of the world's largest new airports meet its end of year deadline?

43 million. 15,000. 250. 154. 60%. 40%. 34%. Restating its statistical credentials is a vital part of AirAsia’s battle to reclaim the media narrative that it was starting to lose last week, reassure passengers and investors and arrest its market cap rout. As it reiterates its importance to ASEAN’s air travel landscape, the crucial number to watch is 70 million. During a combative press performance on Friday, AirAsia Co-Founder, Tony Fernandes, attacked media reporting, repeatedly stated that the KL-based, ASEAN-centric carrier group is financially viable and is seeking funding to recapitalise its debts at a lower borrowing cost not to stay afloat. He added that AirAsia had “carried more passengers than any other ASEAN carrier” in the first half of the year, and could exceed its own projection by carrying 70 million passengers in 2026. On this week’s show, Gary revisits a dramatic week for AirAsia, as negative media reports proliferated and social media speculation skyrocketed, which ended with the airline's figurehead standing firmly on the front foot. AirAsia will close its Q3 books in a few days’ time, and commence its most important quarter since Covid. The entire travel and tourism ecosystem of South East Asia and beyond will be watching closely. And so will we!

"It's hard to imagine how South East Asia's air travel landscape would look without AirAsia." Now in its 25th year, AirAsia isn't just South East Asia's largest and highest profile low-cost carrier, it is the thread that stitches together air travel across the 11 nations of ASEAN - and beyond into key Asian markets like China, India, Japan and South Korea. But this complex airline group, which counts 7 carriers operating from 5 countries (Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines), is laden with debt at high interest rates - and it is in a battle for survival. Its weak financial position has been exacerbated by the Iran War fuel crisis of 2026, resulting in an RM831 million 2nd-quarter net loss. By its own admission, AirAsia - which has cut up to 25% of its capacity in recent months - is seeking "up to US$1.0 billion in international debt markets and RM700 million in local credit facilities" to restructure its debts. Some analysts believe it needs more, and will have to restructure and slim down to survive. This week, Gary is joined by Singapore-based aviation consultant Brendan Sobie to sift through the facts, media hype and social media hysteria to deconstruct the options on the table for AirAsia's future - and what these could mean for passengers and the aviation and tourism economies across the region. We discuss why AirAsia is so important domestically in Malaysia and Thailand, and the reasons why it's the number one carrier connecting ASEAN nations and a critical connector between South East Asia and APAC power markets like China, India, South Korea, Japan and Australia. This is unquestionably the most consequential development in South East Asian travel and tourism in 2026, and we assess the various potential outcomes for the 4th quarter of 2026 and into 2027. So, buckle up - there could be turbulence up ahead.

So, we’re just three weeks away from that all important fourth quarter of the year - and it’s a hectic time across the travel landscape, with plenty of talking points to deconstruct. This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the air travel impacts of a major volcanic eruption (with a familiar name) in Indonesia and a State of Emergency in Malaysia caused by wild fire "haze". Plus, we look at how Russian, Chinese and South Korean tourists are fuelling Vietnam's dynamic inbound surge, while Cambodia counts the cost of a dismal year for international arrivals. New visa entry rules come into force next week in Thailand, and we have the latest updates. Plus, we check-out AirAsia's first codeshare agreement with Turkiye's Pegasus Airlines, which potentially offers South East Asian travellers cheaper air routes to Europe. We finish in Thailand, where a group of airlines is teaming up to enable passengers on domestic routes to check-in 10kgs of fresh fruit. Is fruit shopping tourism really a thing?

"Tourists are now viewed as a source of taxation revenue. It's increasingly hard to raise taxes on your own citizens, but if you have 30+ million tourists each year, that's a lot of potential tax you can raise." This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the multiple challenges Thailand faces in increasing its proposed tourism tax, from THB300 to THB450 - and collecting it. Meanwhile, Vietnam's stellar tourism run continues with a raft of upcoming initiatives and an eye-watering new inbound tourism target. As South East Asian nations have become accustomed to welcoming more Russian tourists, what about travel in the reverse direction? Russia's tourism authorities are targeting tourists from the region to bolster its visitor economy. Plus, we tackle the latest airline route rationalisations and service cutbacks attributed to the Iran War fuel crisis, and a new tourism budget row in the Philippines. Finally, we look at how Vietnam (digital heritage passport) and Indonesia (premium tourism) are introducing new thinking into their domestic travel economy planning. All this and much more.

With two-thirds of 2026 almost complete, tourism strategies, plans and developments are loaded with extra meaning. 2027 is looming up ahead… This week, Gary and Hannah journey across South East Asia and to Australia to ask and answer this week's top tourism questions. We begin Down Under where Australia's new 10-year tourism roadmap is simply world class. We discuss why. Next to Brunei, which is rolling out various tourism initiatives as it targets 1 million arrivals in 2027. Meanwhile, Vietnam's national payment system is now connected to China's WeChat Pay, enabling Chinese visitors to Vietnam and Vietnamese tourists in China to swipe and pay seamlessly. Plus, The Haze is back, blanketing parts of Malaysia and Singapore in a gloomy fug. It could get much worse yet… Meanwhile, Indonesia's high-speed rail route continues to bleed mega-money, Malaysians are spending more on domestic tourism - and China issues a solemn warning that destinations across the region should take seriously.

2026 has been a mixed year for tourism across South East Asia, and all countries are preparing their future strategies. With arrivals growth slowing and competition to attract tourists intensifying, Wellness and Business Events are emerging as key battlegrounds. This week, Gary and Hannah analyse how some of the region's key players, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia, are setting out their strategic stalls - or are they simply chasing the same tourists with different labels and campaigns? Plus, we discuss new flights between Phuket and Bali, and the background behind the arrest of a Malaysia Airlines pilot for drug smuggling in Jakarta. And, is Thailand's Prime Minister paving the way for Myanmar to return to the ASEAN fray after five years of isolation since the military coup?

"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.

Back on 7 January, Hannah and Gary kickstarted the year by analysing 12 topics, themes and issues that we expected to influence the direction of travel across the 11 nations of South East Asia during 2026. As we near the end of the 7th month of the year, how do those forecasts stand up? And will they pertain across the rest of the calendar year? This week, Gary tracks back across those 12 themes and assesses each one in the context of global and regional influences - and, of course, the Middle East War. Two key words stand out above all else: Risk and Uncertainty - which we chose (back in January) as our Words of the Year Ahead!

Seaplane regulations, a fatal speedboat accident and new cyberscam centre revelations. This week's show takes Gary and Hannah around ASEAN and beyond, with stopovers in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Timor Leste and the Middle East. We begin with the latest updates on flights connecting South East Asia and the Middle East as the military conflict between the US and Iran flares up once again. We look at the latest developments in IATA's battle to promote sustainable aviation fuel while at the same time challenging government policies. A deadly speedboat accident near Phu Quoc raises once more the issue of marine safety in tourism, while Vietnam steps up attempts to attract more Muslim tourists. New revelations about scam centres in Timor Leste and Cambodia raise more questions than answers, and we finish in Thailand where an island network of seaplanes is ready for take-off, or is it?

"They are not happy with just Vietnam, just Thailand - now they are going after Australia!" The scale of ambition and speed of commercial aggression shown by Vietnamese airlines is a stand-out feature of 2026, and there is no sign of a slowdown. On our monthly round-up of the top travel and tourism talking points in South East Asia and beyond in June, Gary and Hannah look at how airline strategies are shifting in ASEAN, Asia, Australia and the Middle East East - and the new threads tying them together. Plus, the Mekong Tourism Forum in Yangon suggests Myanmar is being welcomed back onto South East Asia's tourism map. On an upbeat note, Love and Tourism are being rephrased in the Philippines, but coming back down to earth, Thailand is building a border wall between itself and Cambodia. Plus, we test the thermal waters of Bangkok's forthcoming  mega-wellness development, and finish with a look at KL's just-opened durian experience centre. Are durians the new ambassadors of ASEAN tourism? All this, and much more...

"Robotic lockers and ozone-based water filtration systems." As we close in on the halfway point of 2026, Gary and Hannah review the latest travel and tourism developments across ASEAN and beyond with stopovers in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. Gary's just back from Travel Meet Asia in Jakarta, where Brunei previewed its largest year-long tourism promotion in 2027, which we break down. Meanwhile, airlines - and air fares - are in the spotlight with mixed messages delivered this week by AirAsia and AirBorneo. So, what happens next? Plus, we look at the new solutions Vietnam is putting in place (Hint: the army) to ensure the massive new Long Thanh International Airport opens before the end of the year, and ponder why Cambodia is offering visa-free access to Chinese tourists for a limited 4-month period. Finally, we head to Singapore, where the city's long-anticipated "mega wellness project" has broken ground - but what will be inside?