Digital nomads are a new breed of enterprising individuals who make their living while travelling the world. They are location-independent and use technology to perform their jobs. Technology has allowed for new forms of working environments to thrive, rendering formal workspaces a thing of the past.Professions that digital nomads usually take up are writing and blogging, web design, software development and the occasional photography.

Early this year, it was revealed that Thailand had set a new record for tourist arrivals, welcoming as many as 38.2 million tourists in 2018. For 2019, the government there hopes to bring in as many as 41 million tourists to the Land of Smiles. One sector that can help it achieve that goal is halal (permissible by Islam) tourism.A recent annual survey by Mastercard and CrescentRating found that Thailand is one of the top holiday destinations for Muslims.

In the first quarter of 2018, Southeast Asia saw a 9.4 percent increase in tourist arrivals, which is the largest number recorded amongst all regions at the time. This figure exceeds the already robust six percent average growth for global tourism during the same period.Within the Southeast Asian region, Thailand recorded the highest number of foreign tourist arrivals in 2017 at 35 million.

Few things are more anathema to communism than a superyacht, except perhaps taking a ride to the marina in a Bentley.In Nha Trang on Vietnam’s east coast, motorbikes still outnumber luxury cars but there are signs of flourishing wealth everywhere.The half-hour drive along the road to the country’s first deep water marina is filled with glimpses of plush resorts, some complete and others in various stages of development.

Under the theme, “ASEAN: Oneness to the world”, 2019 has been designated as the ASEAN Cultural Year to celebrate and promote the region’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. The promotion of cultural heritage and ethnic traditions drive the region’s tourism development, which is an integral part of the economic policies across ASEAN.

In early 2018, the government of Lao had targeted to attract around five million tourists and earn around US$900 million by the year’s end. Unfortunately, local reports quoted Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Bosengkham Vongdala as telling a parliament session that the goal would not be realised.In the first half of the year, the figure seemed hopeful enough at 2.1 million.

Boosted by the fastest growing middle class in Southeast Asia, Vietnam’s travel industry has seen phenomenal growth which has led to Vietnamese airlines launching direct flights to the United States (US) for the first time.According to the Financial Times, outbound air travel in Vietnam last year grew faster than it ever has and outbound tourism from Vietnam has been growing at an annual rate of 10-15 percent over the past few years according to a Euromonitor report in 2017.

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is targeting several new ASEAN markets and the Middle East as it continues to establish Malaysia as a leading global destination for healthcare.An agency under Malaysia’s Ministry of Finance, the MHTC is tasked with promoting Malaysia as a medical tourism destination under the ‘Malaysia Healthcare’ brand and has seen healthy growth in both the number of tourists visiting Malaysia to attend to their healthcare needs and the revenue generated by the

Malaysia and Indonesia have long been rivals – battling over territorial supremacy, diplomatic issues and even cultural appropriation.From alleged theft of traditions to the superiority of their national football teams, bragging rights between these two ASEAN countries have been as hot an issue as the fiery sambal (chili sauce or paste) they are both so proud of.This year’s Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2019 released last week provides citizens of both countries

Indonesia is hoping to attract 3.5 million Chinese tourists to visit various tourist destinations in the country this year. Tourism Minister Arief Yahya expressed optimism that the target of 3.5 million Chinese tourist arrivals for 2019 would be achieved after the ministry designated Singapore as a hub for the Indonesian tourism market."Our weakness is that we do not have many direct flights.