EU-Malaysia trade to match pre-pandemic levels by year-end: EU Ambassador

The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) convened its extraordinary congress on January 28-29, during which it issued many important decisions and policies regarding the leadership work, as well as orientations for national development in the time ahead.

Malaysia’s Kenanga Research (Kenanga) expects tourist arrivals in the country to jump almost four-fold to 9.6 million in 2023 from an estimated 2.5 million a year ago.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo emphasised that 2023 is expected to be an opportune time for recovering and expediting the growth of the country's tourism sector, with the government planning to hold several prominent events.

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will make an official visit to Singapore on January 30 at the invitation of Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

President Joko Widodo officially kicked off Indonesia’s 2023 ASEAN Chairmanship at a launching event in Jakarta on January 29.

The Thai government on January 28 announced that the fifth Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge is set to open early next year which should help boost border exchanges not only between localities between Thailand and Laos but also trade in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), as it will speed up imports between Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and China (Yunnan).

Australia’s website Traveller has included Laos in the list of 10 best places in the 25 hottest destinations to visit this year.

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports on January 24 released its tourism data for 2022 with a sharp increase in the number of foreign visitors – 11.15 million from just 428,000 in the previous year.

Laos expects to serve 1.4 million domestic and foreign tourists this year with revenue from the tourism sector expected to reach more than 340 million USD, according to the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.

A Philippine Air Force (PAF) aircraft crashed in Bataan province, west of Manila, on January 25 during a training flight, killing two pilots.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on January 24 arrived in Brunei, starting his two-day official visit to the neighbouring country.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has come up with guidelines to launch events and festivals to attract tourists in line with the government’s “5Fs soft power”.

The Ministry of Industry of Thailand has emphasized the importance of manufacturers seriously embracing renewable energy, highlighting higher electricity bills as a critical factor in bringing firms’ attention to this issue.

The President office of the Philippines recently announced that the country will reduce tariff rates on imported electric vehicles (EV), parts and components, to boost the EV market in the country.