Tourism across Southeast Asia rebounds to 72% of pre-COVID levels

According to a recent report by travel data analytics business The Outbox business, as of December 31, 2023, travel in Southeast Asia has recovered to 72% of pre-COVID levels, with Malaysia leading the way and exceeding pre-COVID levels.

It’s noteworthy to observe that a few of countries performed better in December than they did in 2019. With 125%, Malaysia was in second place, while Cambodia was in top place with 136% of pre-COVID levels.

According to the study, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia had more visitors in 2023 than anticipated, but Thailand and Singapore fell slightly short at 93.7% and 97.3%, respectively.

Thailand remained the most popular destination in Southeast Asia with 28.1 million foreign visitors, ahead of Malaysia with 20.1 million and Singapore with 13.6 million. Thailand led the list with 3.3 million visitors in December, followed by Malaysia with 2.3 million. Together, Vietnam, Singapore, and Indonesia welcomed almost a million foreign guests.

The paper states that a diversified inflow of tourists, mostly from China, will cause Southeast Asia to see significant development in 2024.

Original story by: IAG