Asean tourism: Countries leading the way

Manila: After the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fled by sea as "boat people," escaping persecution and poverty.

From the late 1970s to early 1990s, the Philippines played a key humanitarian role, hosting refugees at the Bataan Refugee Processing Center.

Many were later resettled abroad, while some integrated into Filipino communities. Today, the relationship between Vietnam and the Philippines has shifted from crisis to connection.

Today, Filipino tourists explore Vietnam via Mekong and Red River cruises, enjoying cultural experiences and peaceful landscapes, a far cry from the turbulent past that once defined the region’s shared history.

Within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), tourism has shown a positive performance marked by strong recoveries in several key member states, contrasting challenges in others, arrival numbers show.

Overall, international arrivals in Southeast Asia rose steadily, supported by strategic promotion and regional collaboration aimed at boosting tourism. Here's the lowdown on regional tourism numbers:

Targetted campaigns

Malaysia led the region with remarkable growth, surpassing Thailand to become the most visited ASEAN country in early 2025.

It welcomed 16.9 million international tourists by May, reflecting a 20 percent year-on-year increase.

This surge was driven by robust Chinese tourist arrivals, visa facilitation, and targetted campaigns promoting high-value tourism. Malaysia’s tourism receipts and average tourist spending also increased significantly, contributing more substantially to the country's GDP and supporting millions of jobs.

Vietnam

Vietnam also recorded a strong performance, welcoming approximately 10.7 million international visitors in H1 2025 — a 21% increase over the same period in 2024. The country stood out globally as the top performer in international tourist arrival growth in the Asia-Pacific region, bolstered by relaxed visa policies and effective digital marketing.

Thailand

Thailand experienced a slower tourism momentum due to border tensions and a stronger baht, resulting in a 6.9% decline in international arrivals to 20.2 million by August 2025.

Despite the decrease in visitor numbers, tourism revenue remained significant, and key destinations like Bangkok, Pattaya, and Phuket continued to attract visitors. South Koreans showed the longest average stay, followed by Japanese and Malaysian tourists.

Philippines

From January to June 2025, the Philippines saw approximately 3 million foreign tourist arrivals, comparable to the same period in 2024, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT). However, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported nearly 7.84 million total arrivals, 8% higher vs the first half of 2024. The top countries of origin for the total arrivals were the United States, South Korea, and Japan. The country's tourism revenues in early 2025 exceeded pre-pandemic levels, signalling ongoing recovery and growth potential, despite the tropical storms visiting the country, as per DOT.

Singapore

Singapore’s tourism remained steady with 9.78 million visitors, though tourism receipts marginally fell by 0.1 percent in Q1 2025. The city-state maintained its status as a key business and premium travel hub.

Indonesia

Indonesia attracted over 7.05 million international tourists in H1 2025, a 9.44% increase year-on-year. Bali alone welcomed more than 4 million visitors, contributing to the overall positive trend in tourism sector growth.

Cambodia

Cambodia received 3.36 million tourists, up 6.2% compared to the previous year, benefiting from infrastructure upgrades and marketing efforts despite minor declines in arrivals from Thailand and Vietnam. Laos welcomed 2.3 million visitors, showing steady growth from 2.1 million in H1 2024.

Laos

Laos recorded 2,357,722 foreign visitors in the first six months of 2025, up from ~2.1 million during the same period in 2024. The growth in H1 is ~28% year‑on‑year, as per Travel and Tour World. Its top source markets include Thailand, Vietnam, China. The country is on track to exceed its 2025 goal of ~4.3 million visitors and generate over $1 billion from foreign tourism.

Myanmar, Brunei

Data on Myanmar and Brunei’s tourism remain limited or show slower recovery, reflecting ongoing challenges in global travel patterns.

Boosting ASEAN tourism

A number of initiatives have been rolled out, i.e. “A Destination for Every Dream” campaign and new travel guides have been.

These initiatives promote safety and confidence to travellers across member states as the sector advances into the latter half of 2025. Others include:

Visa facilitation & regional travel agreement: Simplifying visa processes, such as visa-free or visa-on-arrival policies among ASEAN countries. This encourages intra-ASEAN travel and attracts more international tourists by offering multi-country travel options. Am example of this is the ASEAN Tourism Agreement promotes seamless travel within member states.

Digital transformation & 'smart tourism': Leveraging digital tools like online booking, mobile apps, smart infrastructure, and virtual tourism. This will greatly enhance traveller convenience, destination marketing, and visitor experience. An example would be Thailand's "Smart Tourism" initiatives and Singapore's digital visitor platforms.

Sustainable & community-based tourism development: Promoting eco-friendly tourism, local culture, and heritage-based experiences. This woulc attract environmentally-conscious travellers, supports local economies, and preserves cultural assets. An example would be Indonesia's focus on ecotourism in Bali and Raja Ampat; and Vietnam’s community-based tourism villages.