Tourist arrivals SEA 2021, by country

In 2021, Indonesia had the highest number of tourist among Southeast Asian countries, with approximately one million tourist arrivals. Comparatively, Brunei and Vietnam had approximately three thousand tourist arrivals in 2021.

Impact of Covid-19 on tourist arrivals in the ASEAN region

A notable decline in tourism in Southeast Asia was observed in 2021 as compared to the previous year. While tourist arrivals in the ASEAN region exhibited a consistent upward trajectory over the last decade, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and concomitant travel restrictions impacted the industry greatly. Tourist hotspots, such as Thailand, have observed a substantial decline in the number of international tourists in Thailand, most significantly Chinese and European tourists.

GDP contributions of tourism

Tourism is an important contributor to the economies of several countries in the ASEAN region. The tourism sector's contributions in Indonesia decreased in 2020 compared to the previous year. Indonesia implemented a policy to restrict international tourism at the start of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this restriction remained in place until the start of 2022. In Thailand, the GDP share of the tourism sector is expected to increase steadily from 2023 to 2028.