Vietnam is the most dynamic and talked-about travel market in South East Asia. The nation's economic growth, which outpaces China and India, made the cover of The Economist last week. Global leaders jet in and out for trade talks, and foreign investment has flooded in. Meantime, Vietnam is developing one of ASEAN's largest airports and its most ambitious high-speed railway. But what happens next, especially with the spectre of 46% US trade tariffs? To deconstruct the key elements of travel, tourism and national economic and social development, Gary chats with Dr Nuno Ribeiro, Senior Lecturer at RMIT University in Ho Chi Minh City. Nuno is an experienced tourism and hospitality management academic, consultant and speaker, and has held senior roles in academia and industry across the US, Canada, Portugal, and Vietnam. In a broad-ranging chat, we discuss the interaction between Vietnam's surging inbound, outbound and domestic travel sectors, and the role of tourism in national branding and projecting soft power. Plus, how high is the 'glass ceiling' for travel growth? We also discuss the perceptions (and employment power) of Vietnamese tourism and hospitality students, the influence of AI in hotel management education - and the role of sustainability in shaping the attitudes of tomorrow's travel industry leaders.

Since the turn of the year, Gary and Hannah have been travelling across South East Asia and worldwide, speaking at various travel conferences. So, this week, we’ve compiled a long list of the most ubiquitous concepts, words and phrases we’ve encountered on stage and in the venue break-out spaces and receptions. We discuss the current contexts around popular buzzwords such as Authentic Experiences, Hyper-Personalisation, Seamless Trips and Frictionless Travel. We wonder where the Visa-Free Access debate goes next, and applaud the greater integration of Muslim Tourism themes into travel conference planning. Of course, we can't leave out Over-tourism, Agentic AI, Gen Zs, Digital Arrival Cards and Chatbots, and we make a forecast about how Trump Tariffs will be discussed in a travel context across the rest of 2025. Plus, what happened to Super Apps, the Metaverse and our most disliked phrase "Owning the Customer"?

AI and Sustainability are hotly debated topics in travel. But how might new policies and regulations in these areas impact future interactions between travellers, suppliers, booking platforms and governments? This week, Gary and Hannah discuss the current landscape for OTAs, sustainability and AI policy development with Yang Li, Head of Public Affairs, Asia Pacific, at Booking.com. Which ASEAN and APAC countries are developing structured legal frameworks around sustainability? And how prepared are businesses region-wide for the EU Greenwashing Claims Directive, which is due to enter into force in 2026? Yang selects some key findings from Booking.com's 9th global Sustainability Report, and their applicability to ASEAN markets. We also touch on sustainable tourism target setting, certifications and investment, and the current state of the Intention vs Action gap. Plus, what are 'closed loop' AI trip-planning tools, and how are travellers using them? How will the interface between OTAs and AI agents shape up? And will Asian governments continue their light touch approach to AI regulation, or are new legal frameworks on the horizon?