Thursday, June 20, 2024 Thailand outpaces Indonesia and Malaysia in tourism growth, with 40M visitors in 2023 and 9.3M in Q1 2024, aided by strategic TAT initiatives and visa-free travel for 93 countries. In 2023 and early 2024, Southeast Asia’s tourism industry has shown remarkable growth, with Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia experiencing significant increases in international visitors.
Thailand led the way with over 40 million international travelers in 2023 and 9.3 million in the first quarter of 2024, marking a 44% increase. Indonesia saw 11.
68 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2023, a 98% rise from 2022, and over 3 million in the first quarter of 2024. Malaysia welcomed 20.14 million visitors in 2023 and 5.
8 million in the first quarter of 2024, representing a 32.5% increase. Also, Malaysia allowing visa-free travel to 134 countries and Indonesia to 169 countries, Thailand allowing visa free entry to just 93 countries still tops the list.
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has implemented initiatives to attract visitors for long-haul stays, beach destinations, and Bangkok’s nightlife. This strategy combines adventure tourism, beach tourism, leisure tourism, business travel, and the meeting and event industry. Despite impressive figures from Indonesia and Malaysia, Thailand’s superior growth and recovery highlight its dominance in ASEAN tourism sector.
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