When Western tourists first arrive in the Far East, one of the culture shocks they encounter lies on the other end of local cuisine: the public toilets. It is a make-or-break experience that may soil their view of the country and impact future travellers. ASEAN is determined that this be a positive one.

Airbnb took the world by storm by serving as a marketplace connecting travellers to people offering short-term accommodation in their homes. Nearly a decade after its formation, blowback against home-sharing is threatening to take the wind out of its sails.Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia decided to rent out three air mattresses in their San Francisco apartment living room. There was a severe shortage of hotel rooms in town due to a convention.

Over the past decade, Southeast Asia has increasingly become one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. This comes as no surprise as the region isn’t short of beautiful beaches, lush forests and historical sacred sites. Southeast Asia also has its fair share of UNESCO World Heritage sites. With such attractions and the proliferation of budget airlines, the number of tourists in the region has risen rapidly.

From the bizarre looking balut in the Philippines to the hearty bakso in Indonesia, Southeast Asia is a food haven, a gastronomical paradise unlike any other. A microcosm of Asia, cuisine in the region is very much influenced by recipes from China, India, and the Middle East, among others.

 Indonesia is an archipelago that is made up of over 16,000 islands, many of them with their own unique attractions from diving spots with diverse marine life, beautiful beaches with pristine waters and places with rich histories. Examples of such places include Borobudur, Morotai Islands and Labuan Bajau. While such places are beautiful in their own right, many of them remain unknown and under the radar.

The internet has changed the way most of us live. Through internet related technological innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and e-commerce, a lot of our day to day tasks have been made easier. Such innovations could also boost industries, making it easier for those who engage in certain types of business to carry out their tasks. The mushrooming of e-wallets in Asia – particularly Southeast Asia – could be useful for the tourism industry.

Health and medical tourism is becoming more prominent and is seen as a growing trend worldwide, according to Global Wellness Institute, a non-profit organisation for the wellness industry.

The unique and diverse range of recreational activities and travel options in this region has made Southeast Asia a top choice for tourists. According to the World Tourism and Travel Council (WTTC), the tourism sector directly contributed to a whopping US$119.7 billion in 2016 alone and is projected to reach US$222.8 billion in 2027, which makes up 5.3% of total GDP for the region.

One of the best things about Southeast Asia is that it’s home to lush, green rainforests and extremely diverse wildlife. This is probably one of the many reasons why – according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) – over one hundred million tourists flocked to the region in 2016. However, as more and more tourists arrive, opportunists are taking advantage of this growth to prop up shady businesses that seek to cash in on the growing demand for wildlife tourism.

The recent announcement by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism & Sports it had welcomed 35 million international tourists on its shores in 2017 is good news for its businesses but has given rise to doubts on Thailand's ability to sustain increasing tourist volumes in the short term. One of the main challenges it faces is limitations to its transportation infrastructure.