June is the beginning of the summer peak season, as a result, the total number of international tourist arrivals in Southeast Asia increased by 7.8%, from 5,819,587 arrivals up to 6,273,312 arrivals this June 2023, recovered more than 75% compared to the same period in 2019. This is also the highest growth rate in the first 6 months of the region.
The South East Asia Performance in June 2023 updated Malaysia’s statistics. Although, the total number of international arrivals in Malaysia is quite impressive. However, according to the Malaysia National Tourism Department, the statistics are only updated till May 2023. Therefore, this number is only for reference and can’t compare with other destinations.
Recovery and tourism target rate
Cambodia had an outstanding recovery index and was near to achieving full recovery with a rate of 92.48%. Vietnam and Indonesia followed closely with rates of 82.25% and 74.11%, respectively. The Philippines had the lowest recovery rate in the region, with a rate of 69.72%.
Vietnam maintained its performance in achieving its 2023 target with the highest completion rate of 69.69% as of June followed by Cambodia and Indonesia. As mentioned in the previous South East Asia Performance May 2023, Indonesia sets a new target of 8.5 million international arrivals instead of 7.4 million arrivals thanks to its excellent tourism growth rate. Reset with the higher target is a good sign for Indonesian tourism although if they kept the old target, they would be the country with the highest target reach in June.
Source: Statistics from National Tourism Departments
Here are some highlights:
Top 3 Southeast Asian destinations with the largest numbers of international arrivals in June 2023:
Thailand: 2,241,201 arrivals. After 3 consecutive months of decline, Thailand, the leading destination in South East Asia, welcomed 2,241,201 arrivals increasing by 11.29% compared to May 23.
Singapore: 1,129,295 arrivals. A slight increase of 1.5% compared to May 23.
Indonesia: 1,062,789 arrivals. Continue to surpass Vietnam, an increase by 12.39% compared to May.
Top 3 Southeast Asian destinations with the highest recovery rate in June 2023:
Cambodia: 92.48%
Vietnam: 82.25%
Indonesia: 74.11%
In term of the aviation sector in July 2023,
Indonesia’s airline capacity reaches 10.5 million seats, representing a 3% increase compared to June 2023. Vietnam remains the second-largest country in the region in terms of airline capacity, with seven million seats available in July 2023, accounting for 19% of the region’s total capacity. Thailand is the third-largest country in Southeast Asia for airline capacity, with 6.2 million seats available, representing 17% of the region’s total capacity. Thailand’s airline capacity has increased by seven percent in July 2023 compared to the previous month.
Source: OAG, updated 7/30/2023
Busiest Domestics routes
Vietnam has two of the busiest domestic routes in the top 3 of South-East Asia, with Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh (987,103 seats) in 1st place and Danang – Hanoi (558,618 seats) in 3rd place. Jakarta – Bali in 2nd place with 629,877 seats.
Busiest International routes
Singapore remains a key hub in Southeast Asia, with seven out of the top ten international routes in the region either starting or ending in Singapore. The top four international routes are between Singapore and other major regional hub airports, including Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Jakarta (CGK), Bangkok (BKK), and Denpasar-Bali (DPS). The busiest route is between Kuala Lumpur (KUL) and Singapore (SIN), with 414,000 seats available.
