Issue #194: 6 Travel Talking Points from the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
From cross-border payments to a new air agreement and EVs to halal food standards.
Welcome to Issue 194 of Asia Travel Re:Set
The headline sounds weird, right?
Foreign Ministers? Travel and tourism?
OK, as I wrote last month for the Asia Media Centre, “ASEAN aspires to shake off criticism of being a ‘talk shop’ that outlines a compelling case for regional integration, but treads no further.”
This week’s 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in KL is unlikely to change that.
Yet, the presence of China’s Wang Yi and Marco Rubio of the US highlighted that times are a-changin’ - and the stakes are rising. ASEAN is aware that its “every member for itself” reputation is running out of steam.
Interestingly, ASEAN is renegotiating (as a bloc) its Free Trade Agreement 3.0 Upgrade with China while individual members are fending off US tariff threats.
With Indonesia now a BRICS member and Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia associate members, can ASEAN pull together for more forceful strategic policy-making?
Thanks for checking in…
"The Digital Nomad movement is becoming more organised and dynamic. The pandemic taught us that countries have to be more resilient in their planning for the future of travel and tourism, and models that worked in the past will evolve. Global mobility and remote working will definitely be a part of the future of tourism."
Enjoyed chatting with Richard Bradbury on Malaysia's BFM 89.9 - The Business Station about how South East Asian destinations can rethink remote work in tourism planning - and manage the evolving challenges of a shape-shifting travel segment.
En route we discussed:
Digital Nomad Visas are only the “First Step”
Mindset change in destination marketing to embrace new realities
Taxation and Tourism Pricing
Better understanding domestic and inbound digital nomad cultures
Promoting nomad services in decentralised areas, not the major cities
⏩ Click HERE to listen to: Is Malaysia Ready to Accommodate Digital Nomads?
6 Travel Talking Points from the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
Ordinarily, the travel and tourism sectors wouldn’t pay much attention to the Joint Communiqué of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Kuala Lumpur, 9 July 2025.
But, as discussed in Issue 191, the region’s new economic-socio-political framework is the recently published ASEAN Community Vision 2045.
This states that as ASEAN strives to become the world’s 4th-largest economy by 2045, member states “need to deepen their economic integration and enhance their agility to address multifaceted challenges”.
Enhancing travel and tourism connectivity is a vital pillar of the region’s outlook.
So, I’ve pored through the 32-page, 160-clause KL Communiqué so you don’t have to.
Here are 6 line items worth keeping an eye on….
1) 10 Becomes 11
The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) will admit its 1st new member since 1999 (Cambodia). The meeting reconfirmed that Timor-Leste will “become the 11th member of ASEAN at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025.” We discussed the potential travel outcomes on The South East Asia Travel Show back in June.
2) ASEAN-New Zealand Air Agreement
Members confirmed the conclusion of negotiations on the “ASEAN-New Zealand Air Services Agreement and looked forward to its signing in 2025, with the aim of strengthening air connectivity between ASEAN and New Zealand.” Perhaps not the largest or geographically closest air market, this agreement is another part of South East Asia’s diversifying air services map.
3) Cross-Border Payments
ASEAN is making “substantial progress in the adoption and promotion of regional cross-border payment connectivity, with 18 live cross-border payment linkages within the region and with economic partners such as Japan, India and Hong Kong.” The fragmentation and non-inter-operability of ASEAN payment apps is challenging for travellers and the travel chain. Can governments, central banks and payment providers bring greater clarity to ASEAN and APAC’s complex payments tapestry?
4) Halal Food Harmonisation
“In response to the increasing global demand for halal food, we looked forward to strengthening regional coordination to promote halal food trade by harmonising national standards with regional and international benchmarks.” With Muslin travel now recognised as perhaps Asia Pacific’s most intriguing driver of growth and diversification, South East Asia has plenty of potential benefits to leverage here.
5) EVs in Focus
Transport Ministers from the 11 nations will finalise the ASEAN Electric Vehicle (EV) Implementation Roadmap, “which will guide the development of a robust and sustainable EV ecosystem.” Much-needed investment in EV infrastructure could help unlock the potential of the region’s woefully underserved self-drive tourism segment.
6) ASEAN Tourism Outlook “Towards” 2030
This one sounds a bit fluffy, but let’s see how it transpires. The in-development ASEAN Tourism Outlook Towards 2030 will be “a strategic instrument to guide regional post-pandemic tourism recovery and long-term growth, positioning Southeast Asia as a diverse and attractive global destination.”
Further, regional leaders are working with India to adopt the “ASEAN-India Joint Leaders’ Statement on Sustainable Tourism at the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit.”
I’m looking forward to joining John Grant, Deirdre Fulton and Courtney Miller on the July edition of the OAG Webinar for an “aviation recap of 2025 so far”, and (ominously) “predictions for the second half of the year.”
We’ll be taking a look at some of the world's largest markets and how they are responding to shifting travel dynamics.
In Asia, we’ll explore whether Japan is reaching peak volumes and why Thailand’s capacity has dropped dramatically. Is Vietnam’s aviation market a rising star?
Meanwhile, in the US, one of the world’s biggest domestic markets, is more consolidation imminent? And is international travel demand finally softening?
⏩ Join us live on Thursday 24 July, 1300 BST / 14:00 CEST / 20:00 HKT
And, that’s a wrap for Issue 194.
Asia Travel Re:Set will return next Sunday. Meantime, find me on LinkedIn.
Happy travels,
Gary