Welcome to Issue 218 of Asia Travel Re:Set.
Do Ultra-Short Vacations - defined in Singapore as getaways, or life escapes, of less than 24 hours - constitute tourism?
Technically, no. But in Malaysia’s accounting standard, “excursionists” are included in the annual visitor arrivals count, but not its tourist arrivals count.
So, does methodology impact ASEAN’s claim to have surpassed 2019 arrivals in 2025?
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What's the deal with the Ultra-Short Vacations trend from Singapore?
What factors are driving the surge of 24-48 hour trips from the city state to neighbouring destinations - mostly Malaysia and Thailand? Is it specific to Singapore? Are LCCs driving USV trends?
“We live in such a small country that we feel the need to travel, that desire to travel is so much greater - we don’t have domestic tourism. 91% of Singaporeans say they plan to travel this year.”
Where are the USV hotspots? How is travel tech supporting super-fast getaways? Is it about escaping the daily monotony? And which travel hacks are they deploying?
"We all use price-comparing apps, dynamic pricing, there are a lot of tech benefits on the travel booker’s side. We’ve learned how to game the booking systems, we’re all traders now when it comes to travel."
Moreover, what do ultra-short stays say about travel industry narratives of Quality Tourism and Seeking Sustainable Experiences?
January was a craaazy month worldwide. Here in South East Asia, an intriguing slate of talking points set up the 2026 travel year. So, as we do every month, we recap January’s top 8 takeaways with stopovers in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, Thailand… and Russia.
First up,, we look at ASEAN's claim to have (marginally) surpassed 2019's 143.7 million aggregate visitor arrivals in 2025 with a reported 144 million. Is this true - given Thailand’s arrivals in 2025 were down 17.5% compared to 2019?
“This is a complicated issue - mixing up the definitions of visitor arrivals, tourist arrivals and excursionists.”
Looking at the UN Tourism data, it uses a different methodology to the 144 million measurement announced at last week’s ASEAN Tourism Forum. The UN’s measurement (see below) for Tourist Arrivals recorded 138 million for the (then 10) ASEAN countries in 2019 - and 124.5 million in 2025, a shortfall of 9.8%.
- Which are the 2 new and rebranded airlines in Vietnam? Crystal Bay Airlines and Vietravel Airlines. But why are Nha Trang and Phu Quoc becoming airline hubs?
- We try to make sense of the dramatic currency volatility that beset Asia last month:
“It’s a lot about the US dollar, and also about Indonesia’s structural problems and Japan’s weak-Yen policy, which rebounded then fell again in January… And the gold tracker graph in January is remarkable.”
- Also, why is Russia tipped as 2026’s hot inbound market in South East Asia?
“We’re seeing more chartered flights from Russian cities, plus Russian language training for tour guides - and even travel study programmes for Russian tourists.”
We finish on the A-List red carpet as Thailand launches a tourism campaign at Wat Arun featuring global pop and fashion megastar, Lisa from Blackpink.
⏩ Click the live link below, or here, to listen to Did ASEAN Surpass 2019 Arrivals in 2025?, New Airlines in Vietnam & Currency Craziness Everywhere: January 2026 in Review.
Or search for The South East Asia Travel Show on any podcast app.
“Five pillars. So, one is resilience, which makes sense in a region that is hit by so many natural disasters. Empowerment. Accessibility. Digital and product diversification and sustainable tourism. All of these pillars are what you would expect to be in a roadmap for tourism for the next 5 years - but how can the 11 ASEAN nations coordinate together to build out this plan?”
- Why is Bangkok celebrating its new relationship with the IMF and World Bank?
- What benefits have 20 years of the Singapore Air Show delivered for one of the world’s fastest growing aviation sectors?
“Over the past 20 years, the region’s aviation sector has completely changed. In 2006, low-cost carriers were in their infancy. China and India weren’t the air powers that they are today. Intra-regional travel across South East Asia and connectivity between North East Asia and South East Asia were nowhere near the levels they are now.”
- And how is coastal erosion creating concern in Malaysia’s Penang Island?
Back on Monday…
➡️ Click the live link below - or here to listen to ASEAN Launches 2030 Tourism Roadmap, 20 Years of the Singapore Air Show & Bangkok’s Major MICE Win: Start the Week with The South East Asia Travel Show:
Or search for The South East Asia Travel Show on any podcast app.
And, that’s a wrap for Issue 218.
Asia Travel Re:Set will return next Sunday.
Happy travels…
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