For much of the post-pandemic recovery, one narrative has dominated discussions around outbound travel: independent travel would continue to outpace traditional package tours.

With travelers increasingly comfortable planning trips online, booking directly through digital platforms, and seeking more personalized experiences, many assumed organized group travel had entered a long-term decline.

The latest wave of Asia Travel Sentiment (ATS), The Outbox Company’s biannual travel intelligence platform that tracks outbound travel intentions and traveler behaviors across Asia, suggests the story is more nuanced.

While independent travel continues to shape the region’s tourism landscape, organized tours remain an important consideration for many outbound travelers. More importantly, the data suggests that the future of group tourism may not be about bringing back the large coach tours of the past but about meeting the needs of travelers who value convenience without giving up flexibility.

In the latest wave of ATS, respondents were asked which travel style they intend to choose for their next international trip within the following six months.

Across Northeast Asia, the share of travelers planning to join an organized group tour increased from 23% to 27%, representing a 4 percentage point increase compared with the previous wave.

South Korea recorded the highest preference for organized tours, with 33% of respondents selecting this travel style, alongside a 6 percentage point increase from the previous wave. This reinforces the continued relevance of organized travel within the Korean outbound market, where packaged itineraries remain an established option for international trips.

Japan recorded an equally notable shift, with intended participation in organized tours increasing by 6 percentage points, reaching 18%. Although Japan remains below South Korea and China in overall preference, the change suggests growing interest in structured travel options. At a time when the weaker yen has increased the cost of overseas travel, package tours may provide greater certainty by combining major trip components such as transportation, accommodation, and activities into a single purchase.

Meanwhile, China, by comparison, remained broadly stable, with organized tour preference increasing by only 1 percentage point. This reflects a market where organized tours continue to serve an important role, while free independent travel (FIT) has become increasingly established among experienced Chinese outbound travelers. Rather than one replacing the other, both travel styles now coexist across different traveler segments and trip purposes.

Together with the growing interest in organized tours, this suggests that the future of group travel may be moving away from a one-size-fits-all model toward more flexible and smaller-scale experiences. Travelers continue to value the convenience, expertise, and reduced planning burden that organized travel can provide, while also showing a preference for travel formats that feel more manageable and personalized.

For the industry, this opens opportunities beyond traditional large-group packages. Smaller guided departures, curated itineraries, and experience-focused tours can offer a balance between structure and flexibility, catering to travelers who want support throughout their journey without sacrificing choice.

Rather than a return to the group tourism model of the past, the next phase of organized travel may be defined by greater variety in how travelers experience destinations.

The resurgence of interest in organized travel highlights a broader shift taking place across Asia’s outbound tourism landscape. Travelers are no longer choosing between only two categories: fully independent travel or traditional package tours. Instead, the market is becoming increasingly segmented, with different traveler groups prioritizing different combinations of convenience, flexibility, and experience.

For travel businesses, this means adapting products and partnerships to match the changing expectations of organized travelers:

• Design more flexible group travel products. Traditional fixed itineraries may not fully meet the expectations of today’s travelers. Products that combine structured planning with free time, optional activities, and customizable experiences can better balance convenience and flexibility.
• Develop more small-format group experiences. As smaller travel parties represent a significant share of outbound travel demand, destinations and operators can explore products designed around smaller groups, such as themed tours, interest-based journeys, and curated local experiences.
• Create experiences beyond sightseeing. Travelers are increasingly looking for deeper connections with destinations. Culinary experiences, cultural activities, outdoor adventures, wellness programs, and community-based experiences can help differentiate organized tours beyond standard attractions.
• Strengthen partnerships with source-market operators. With organized travel demand varying across markets, destinations and suppliers should work closely with local tour operators, airlines, and travel platforms to understand which segments are driving demand and tailor products accordingly.

The next phase of outbound travel growth may therefore not be defined by the decline of one travel style and the dominance of another. Instead, it will be shaped by a wider range of travel formats designed around increasingly diverse traveler needs.

International tourism in Vietnam in the first quarter of 2023 showed signs of improvement. The number of foreign tourists to Vietnam in Q1 reached approximately 2.7 million arrivals, equal to nearly 80% of 2022 (3.4 million arrivals) thanks to the common recovery of the international tourism market, and China’s return.

There is a change in the largest inbound markets of Vietnam in 2023. Last year, the top 10 were South Korea, the US, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Australia, Taiwan, and China, respectively.

This year, South Korea, the US, and Thailand remain top 3 nations with the most visitors to Vietnam, respectively. Korea led the ranking in the first quarter with more than 810.9 thousand visitors, followed by the US (206.8 thousand) and Thailand (145.1 thousand arrivals). In Q1 2023, the North East Asian markets including Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan are taking back the top source markets to Vietnam with 4 out of 6 positions.

Notably, among the source markets of Vietnam this year, the number of Chinese visitors in Q1 was nearly double the total number of 2022. Vietnam tourism expects visitors from this huge market will soon return a lot. However, to reach 5.8 million Chinese visitors in 2019, we need more efforts.

Although there was a significant increase in the number of tourists to Vietnam in Q1 2023, the Southeast Asian market experienced a decline in rankings. Only Thailand kept its 3rd position compared to last year. Cambodia moved from No.4 to No.9, Malaysia fell from No.5 to No.7, while Singapore left No.7 to rank at No.10.

Besides the two key inbound markets to Vietnam including North East Asia and South East Asia, the US market also emerged. For 2 consecutive years, the US maintains the No. 2 position, only after South Korea. Meanwhile, before the pandemic, in 2019, it only ranked 5th in the top of Vietnam’s inbound tourism market.

Q1 saw a significant growth in international tourism to Vietnam compared to 2022. Although it cannot reach the level of Q1 2019 (4.5 million visitors), it gives a brighter picture of Vietnam’s international market in the coming times.