Southeast Asia tourism performance remained relatively flat in August 2023, with a slight but insignificant decrease in international tourist arrivals from 7,045,482 to 7,029,210 visitors.
Thailand remains the most popular tourist destination in the region, while Cambodia has the highest recovery rate. Vietnam has already surpassed its 2023 tourism target as of September, with more than 8.8 million visits (reaching 110%).
Recovery and Tourism Target Rate
By August, Cambodia was on the verge of full recovery with a recovery index of 89%. Vietnam was not far behind, securing the second position with a recovery rate of 80%, and Singapore followed closely with a 75% recovery rate.
When it comes to meeting their 2023 targets, Vietnam was in the lead with a completion rate of 97.89%, having welcomed a total of 7.8 million international visitors. By September, Vietnam had surpassed its 2023 target, with the arrival of 8.8 million international visitors.
Highlights
Top 3 Southeast Asian destinations with the largest numbers of international arrivals in August 2023:
Thailand: Welcomed 2,468,042 international arrivals, just a slight drop of only 0.91% compared to July 2023
Singapore: Welcomed 1,308,824 international arrivals, a drop 7.8% compared to July 2023
Vietnam: Welcomed 1,217,421 international arrivals in increase 17% compared to July, taking Indonesia out of top 3
In terms of recovery rate:
Cambodia: Achieved a recovery rate of 89.44%
Vietnam: Achieved a recovery rate of 80.49%
Singapore: Achieved a recovery rate of 75.22%
In term of Aviation
According to OAG, Indonesia holds the title for the largest capacity in Southeast Asia, contributing to 30% of the region’s capacity with 10.5 million seats. Following closely is Thailand, which has now risen to the second position with a capacity of 5.9 million seats in September 2023, making up 17% of the region’s capacity. Despite a reduction of 17% in capacity compared to the previous month, Vietnam secured the third spot with 5.5 million seats, accounting for 16% of the region’s capacity.
The Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) route continues to be the most popular domestic route in Southeast Asia, even with a 17% decrease from the previous month, totaling 797k seats. Other domestic routes in Vietnam also saw a significant decrease in capacity, with a 40% drop on the Da Nang (DAD) to Hanoi (HAN) route and a 24% decrease on the Da Nang (DAD) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) route. Half of the top ten domestic routes in Southeast Asia are within Indonesia, with Jakarta (CGK) to Denpasar-Bali (DPS) being the largest among them.
Singapore remains a crucial hub in Southeast Asia, with seven out of the top ten international routes in the region either starting or ending there. The busiest route is Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Singapore (SIN), which has a capacity of 419k seats. The Manila (MNL) to Singapore (SIN) and Bangkok Don Mueang International (DMK) to Kuala Lumpur (KUL) routes saw the most growth among the top ten, increasing by 9% and 6%, respectively.
