Tourism pie

Multiple factors have contributed to Vietnam's growing appeal among Chinese tourists.

These include a mutual visa-free travel agreement, province-to-province memorandums of understanding to promote "sister-city" tourism, and the establishment of a cross-border QR code payment system to support seamless financial transactions between the two countries.

Analysts agree China has long been a critical source market for ASEAN tourism, and visa-free access is amplifying the region's appeal.

John Paolo Rivera, an associate director of the Dr Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism at the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines, said visa waivers are a major enabler of tourism growth across the region.

Singapore is another country that offers visa-free entry to Chinese nationals. In 2024, Singapore welcomed 16.5 million foreign visitors, with China among the top three source markets. The Singapore Tourism Board expects continued tourism recovery this year, supported by increased flight frequencies.

Yu Hong, a senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore, noted that Singapore has long been popular among Chinese tourists due to its geographic proximity, cultural similarities, and a strong network of direct flights linking Singapore with numerous Chinese cities.

Top destination

In the first quarter of 2025, Malaysia surpassed Thailand to become the most-visited country in Southeast Asia, drawing 10.1 million international tourists.

Thailand followed with 9.5 million, Vietnam welcomed 6 million, and Singapore recorded 4 million visitors. Thailand had previously held the regional tourism crown.

According to Travel and Tour World website, Malaysia's rise was fueled by a combination of visa-free entry policies, targeted marketing, and infrastructure upgrades.

The largest number of visitors came from Singapore — 4.9 million trips-followed by China and Indonesia, with nearly 1.1 million visits each.

The Malaysian government recently extended its visa-free policy for Chinese tourists by five years, with a potential extension to 2036. Indian tourists are also included in the scheme, which currently runs through 2026. The initiative targets travelers from Asia's two most populous nations.