Tourism across Southeast Asia had recovered to 72% of pre-COVID levels as of 31 December 2023, with Malaysia standing out as the only nation to exceed pre-COVID levels, according to a new study by travel insights intelligence firm The Outbox Company.
However, a number of nations exceeded 2019 levels in December, led by Cambodia at 136% of pre-COVID and Malaysia at 125%.
The study noted that the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Malaysia all surpassed their tourism goals for 2023, while Thailand and Singapore fell just short of their targets at 93.7% and 97.3% respectively.
Thailand remained the Southeast Asian destination with the highest number of international visitors at 28.1 million, followed by Malaysia with 20.1 million and Singapore with 13.6 million. For the month of December, Thailand was also top with 3.3 million arrivals followed by Malaysia with 2.3 million. Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia all attracted more than 1 million international visitors.
The study added that Southeast Asia is “set to thrive” in 2024, “especially with visitors from diverse markets, notably China.”
RelatedPosts
