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In the race among Southeast Asian countries to attract international tourists back after Covid-19, Vietnam's tourism sector seems to be "falling behind" and lagging far behind other destinations in the region. According to data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Vietnam welcomed over 413,000 international visitors in the first six months of 2022. Thus, after six months, the number of international visitors to Vietnam has only reached about 10% of the annual plan; and the target of 5 million international visitors in 2022 is proving to be a significant challenge.
Meanwhile, regarding international visitor numbers from the beginning of 2022, Thailand has welcomed over 2.2 million visitors (as of July 6th), Malaysia over 2 million (as of June 21st), Singapore over 1.5 million (first six months), Indonesia over 523,000 (as of the end of May 2022), the Philippines over 814,000 (first six months), and Cambodia over 510,000 (first six months).
The largest source markets for tourists to Vietnam in the first six months of 2022 were visa-exempt countries (South Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia) or those using e-visas (the US, Australia, India). However, it is noteworthy that recent surveys show Vietnam is absent from the list of favorite destinations for many of these markets, while other Southeast Asian destinations are chosen by many tourists.
A survey by Europe Assistance and Ipsos in June 2022 indicated that Australian tourists favored New Zealand, the US, the UK, France, and Japan; British tourists preferred Spain, Italy, and France; and German tourists favored Italy, Spain, and Austria. The most popular destinations for Thai tourists were Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and China.
Vietnam has yet to regain its leading position in tourism compared to other Southeast Asian countries.
According to a June 2022 report by ForwardKeys, the most popular destinations for American travelers in Southeast Asia are currently the Philippines, Singapore, and Indonesia. Trip.com's research on summer travel trends for 2022 shows that the most booked destinations in the Asia-Pacific region are Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, and Bali.
A survey by JTB Corporation in July 2022 indicated that Japanese tourists this summer tend to choose Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South Korea, and Taiwan (China). Another Japanese travel company, HIS, also conducted a similar survey with fairly similar results, with Bangkok, Hawaii, and Seoul being the most popular destinations for tourists.
Meanwhile, the most popular destinations for Singaporean travelers recently have been Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, and Indonesia, according to Skyscanner data. According to AirAsia, the favorite destinations for Malaysian travelers for short getaways are Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, and Bangladesh. Türkiye remains the most popular destination for Malaysian travelers, often for longer trips.
