In the first 5 months of 2023, Vietnam welcomed nearly 4.6 million international visitors, an increase of 19 times over the same period last year. In May 2023 alone, it is estimated that Vietnam welcomed around 916,300 international visitors, down 6.9% from the previous month. However, it is still 6.7 times higher than the same period last year.

Although the growth rate of international arrivals in the first 5 months of 2023 is remarkable, overall arrivals are only 63% of the number recorded in the same period in 2019, before COVID-19.

Regarding the source market, out of a total of nearly 4.6 million international arrivals to Vietnam in the first 5 months of the year, Asia continues to be the top source. Korea is still Vietnam’s largest market with 1.3 million visitors. According to data from the Bank of Korea (BoK), in Q1 2023, the number of Korean outbound travelers increased rapidly amid the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. More and more Koreans are traveling abroad for entertainment instead of education and training. Although the number of Korean visitors to Vietnam in May decreased by 4.6% compared to April 2023, it is still many times higher than other markets in North East Asia. Specifically, it is 3.3 times higher than the Chinese market, 5.2 times higher than the Taiwan market, and 6.5 times higher than the Japanese market.

In addition, China was the second largest market with more than 398,000 arrivals, up 31% from the previous month. It is a positive sign from this important market. The next positions were the US, Taiwan and Thailand, respectively. Besides, Japan, Malaysia, Cambodia, Australia and Singapore also contribute significantly to the number of inbound tourists to Vietnam.

Thus, with 4.6 million international visitors in the first 5 months of the year, Vietnam has achieved 57.5% of the 2023 target. Nevertheless, in the upcoming low season of international tourism, the target completion depends a lot on how we attract tourists for the peak season at the end of the year. Therefore, suitable products and programs are very important and require careful preparation. Moreover, it is necessary to study visitors’ behavior and psychology for the coming times. The aim is to offer products that meet the needs and desires of tourists, thereby attracting a large number of international visitors and creating a growth momentum.

In this first quarter, there were over 235 million international arrivals globally, an increase of more than 89% compared to last year and a recovery of 80% compared to before the pandemic (in 2019). The number of international visitors in the first three months in Asia-Pacific accounted for more than one-fifth of the world market share with 49.7 million arrivals. Particularly, 5 South East Asian destinations (Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines) accounted for a total of more than 6%, reaching 15.7 million.

According to UNWTO, the recovery rate of international tourism in Asia-Pacific in Q1 was 54% compared to 2019. It was 61% in South East Asia. Thus, compared to the general recovery rate of the world (80%), Asia – Pacific was still far behind.

SEA tourism performance

According to official statistics, it can be seen that the tourism recovery rate of the 5 South East Asian countries is quite similar, ranging from 59% to 63%. The Philippines has the best performance, in contrast to Indonesia with the lowest recovery rate.

The ease of travel restrictions and the return of key source markets pushed the Q1 growth rate to 90% year-over-year. The evidence is that the number of international visitors to South East Asia was 13 times higher than in Q1 2022.

Regarding the number of international arrivals in the first quarter, the order was still Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines respectively. Thailand received a higher number of visitors than the total of the second and third ranks. Singapore’s number of visitors is 44.9%, while Vietnam’s only 41.7% compared to Thailand.

In terms of 2023 target rate, Vietnam still led with 33.74%. Singapore was farthest from the set target (20.78%).

Key source markets of SEA countries

In general, Asia remains the largest inbound market of South East Asia. Travel sentiment of Chinese tourists with outbound tourism is not really high. American tourists are increasingly showing interest in the region.

Thailand

In Q1, three of Thailand’s five largest tourist markets were in Asia, with the largest one being Malaysia (more than 14%). In general, the market share of the source markets in Thailand is quite evenly. It is not completely dependent on any market too much. Of the five SEA countries, only Thailand attracted a large number of Russian visitors (566,667 arrivals).

Singapore

The country was the top outbound destination for many Asian tourists in Q1 2023, namely Indonesia, China, Malaysia, and India. Australia is the only non-Asian market in the top 5 of Singapore’s source markets, ranking 4th with 249,537 arrivals.

Vietnam

4/5 of Vietnam’s key inbound markets are also in Asia. The top 5 source markets include South Korea, the US, Thailand, China and Taiwan, respectively. In which, Korean tourists accounted for nearly one third of total international visitors to Vietnam (810,938 arrivals). Vietnam is still showing its dependence on one market. In the first 3 months, the market share of the Korean market (30%) was nearly 4 times higher than that of the second market, the US (7.7%).

Indonesia

In Q1, Indonesia was a popular destination for many South East Asian markets including Malaysia, Singapore, and Timor Leste. Besides, China and Australia were also two main inbound markets of Indonesia.

The Philippines

The Philippines especially attracted visitors from many regions. The top 2 source markets of the Philippines are similar to Vietnam including South Korea and the US (accounting for more than 44% market share). South Korean tourists alone accounted for more than a quarter of its total international arrivals (361,985 arrivals, equivalent to 25.7%). The remaining three markets are Canada, Australia and Japan, respectively.

Highlights

Top 3 South East Asian destinations with largest numbers of international arrivals in Q1 2023:

1. Thailand: 6,477,538
2. Singapore: 2,909,520
3. Vietnam: 2,699,556

Top 3 South East Asian destinations with highest recovery rate in Q1 2023:

1. The Philippines: 63.77%
2. Indonesia: 62.17%
3. Thailand: 60.02%

Top 3 source markets of South East Asian destinations in Q1 2023:

1. South Korea: 1.84 million international visitors, accounting for 11.74%. During China’s shutdown and Chinese tourists were hesitant to travel overseas, Korea has become South East Asia’s largest source market. Before the pandemic, it was also one of the world’s leading source markets.
2. Malaysia: 1.68 million international visitors, accounting for 10.71%. Malaysia has not published data on tourism performance for the quarter. However, as recorded by other countries, Malaysia was the second largest source market, and the largest regional market of South East Asia.
3. USA: 0.952 million international visitors, accounting for 6.05%. US tourists still express their interest for South East Asia thanks to its unique culture, pleasant climate, low cost, majestic nature, etc.

In Q1 2023, the inbound tourism recovery in South East Asia was still lower than in the world, but there were signs of improvement with monthly growth. The largest source markets of five South East Asian countries are mainly in Asia. Australia and the US are two key non-Asian markets. During the low tourist season in Q2, will countries in the region maintain the current growth momentum?