Thailand regains throne of international visitors in Southeast Asia

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 08:42:31

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Thailand welcomed more than 9 million international visitors in the first quarter, the highest in Southeast Asia and 1.6 times the number of visitors to Malaysia - the country in second place.

International visitors walking and participating in shopping activities in Thailand. Photo: Eturbo news

Thanks to visa relaxation policies, bilateral visa exemptions with China and many other tourism promotion activities, Thailand has regained the top position in the race to welcome international visitors in Southeast Asia with 9.37 million arrivals in the first 3 months of the year. Previously, the leading position in the number of international visitors in the region belonged to Malaysia.

According to data from the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports , 1.75 million Chinese tourists, the largest source of tourists to Southeast Asia, visited Thailand in the first quarter, followed by the Malaysian market (1.16 million) and Russia (more than 622,000).

With 5.8 million arrivals in the first three months of the year, Malaysia ranked second in the region. This number of arrivals increased by 32% compared to the same period last year. International arrivals to Vietnam in the first three months of the year reached 4.6 million, up 72% compared to the same period last year and 3.2% compared to 2019, according to data from the National Tourism Administration. Vietnam is the country that welcomed the third highest number of international visitors in the region in the first period of this year.

The next names are Singapore with 4.35 million visitors, Indonesia with 3 million, Philippines with 1.6 million, Cambodia with 1.5 million and Laos with 1 million. The number of visitors to Southeast Asian countries in the first three months of the year mostly increased compared to the same period last year, from 21 to 50%. The remaining countries including Myanmar, Brunei and Timor Leste do not have exact figures yet.

Southeast Asia is also witnessing a race to attract visitors from potential markets such as China, India, and Europe from three countries: Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia, by granting bilateral visa exemptions or extending visa exemption periods.

In 2023, Malaysia will be the country that welcomes the most international visitors to the region with 29 million arrivals, a few hundred thousand more than the second-placed country, Thailand. Singapore will be third with 13.6 million arrivals, and Vietnam will be fourth with more than 12 million arrivals.

According to v nexpress.net

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