Thailand emerges as the top destination for international tourists in the ASEAN region, as revealed by Sudawan Wangsuphakitgosol, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, during the 27th ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF 2024) in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The forum’s theme, Quality and Responsible Tourism – Sustaining ASEAN Future, reflected a collective intent among ASEAN tourism ministers to restore and promote responsible and sustainable tourism that enhances the competitiveness and development of the region’s tourism sector.
The figures presented at the meeting highlighted a significant rise in ASEAN’s international tourist arrivals by 153% in 2023 compared to the previous year. The success is attributed to two marketing campaigns, imaginASEAN and the ASEAN Tourism Recovery Campaign, which drew a staggering 2.5 billion participants globally.
In the ASEAN region, Thailand led the pack in 2023 with an impressive count of 28.09 million foreign visitors, marking an increase of 153.94% from the 11.06 million recorded the previous year. Vietnam followed with 12.06 million international tourists, a substantial increase of 344.2% from the 3.66 million the year before.
Singapore also saw a healthy growth of 130%, with 12.37 million foreign tourists, up from 5.37 million. Cambodia and the Philippines each reported 5.45 million international tourists, representing increases of 139.5% and 105.38%, respectively. Brunei, though smaller in numbers, experienced a dramatic surge of 345.61%, with 82,109 tourists compared to just 18,426 in the previous year, reported Sanook.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to review the progress of ASEAN’s tourism recovery plan post-Covid-19, noting that 60% of the actions under the ASEAN tourism strategic plan for 2016 to 2025 had been implemented or were in progress. This review was critical to ensuring alignment with the strategic direction for the sector and other key initiatives.
Further discussions encompassed the execution of activities under the ASEAN tourism strategic plan for 2016 to 2025 and other significant matters for the years 2023 to 2024, aiming to support the accelerated recovery of the tourism sector in line with the theme of quality and responsible tourism for a sustainable ASEAN future. Emphasis was placed on the importance of close cooperation among ASEAN member states across all related sectors to ensure the resilience and sustainability of ASEAN tourism.
Looking ahead, the next ASEAN tourism meeting is scheduled for January 25 next year, under the theme Unity in Motion: Shaping ASEAN’s Tourism Tomorrow, with Malaysia set to host the event. This gathering will continue to shape the trajectory of ASEAN’s tourism industry, ensuring its growth remains robust, responsible, and sustainable.
