Vietnam and Thailand tourism "race" to welcome Indian tourists, who will be the winner?

In its latest tourism report, the Mastercard Economic Institute has notable comments on the potential of the Vietnamese and Thai tourism industries to welcome international visitors from India and China.

Mr. David Mann, Asia-Pacific Regional Economist at the institute, said that in the context of the number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad not fully recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic, India has emerged as the largest tourist market in the region, competing directly with China at destinations in Southeast Asia.

Thanks to impressive economic growth (expected to reach 6.4% in the 2024-2025 financial year), along with the explosion of new flight routes and favorable visa policies, the number of Indian visitors to Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand all recorded high growth.

According to the General Statistics Office - Ministry of Finance , in the first quarter of 2025, international visitors to Vietnam are estimated to reach more than 6 million, an increase of 29.6% over the same period last year. Of which, visitors from India reached more than 143,000, continuing to maintain double-digit growth over the same period last year. In 2024, there will be more than 500,000 Indian tourists coming to Vietnam, becoming one of the potential markets for the tourism industry.

Benefiting from the liberal visa policies in the wake of the pandemic, Thailand and Malaysia have seen strong growth in Indian visitors – up 7% and 54% respectively compared to 2019. Bangkok has overtaken Dubai as the most popular international destination for Indian tourists.

Wedding of an Indian millionaire in Hoi An in 2024. Photo: LAM GIANG

"Vietnam is the country with the most impressive growth in the number of tourists from India in the region. Since 2022, many direct flights connecting directly with major cities in India have been established, contributing to the number of Indian tourists to Vietnam increasing by 363% in 2024 compared to 2019.

The strong breakthrough from the Indian market and the steady recovery from other countries such as South Korea are helping Vietnam's tourism industry maintain positive growth momentum," said Mr. David Mann.

According to Capital Economics, by 2035, Indian tourists will spend around $120 billion a year on overseas travel – becoming the fourth-biggest spender globally, behind only the US, China and Germany.

In 2024, Thailand will continue to lead Southeast Asia in the number of international visitors with 35.5 million arrivals.

However, Vietnam is a bright spot in terms of growth, reaching 17.5 million international visitors - up 40% compared to the same period last year. Vietnam's tourism industry is actively upgrading its services, especially in the areas of dining and shopping, to provide experiences that suit the aesthetic tastes and spending levels of visitors from India.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/du-lich-viet-nam-va-thai-lan-chay-dua-don-khach-an-do-ai-se-la-nguoi-chien-thang-196250416093805846.htm