Between January and November, Malaysia welcomed 26.1 million foreign visitors, making it the top destination in Southeast Asia for that period.

During the same timeframe, Thailand received 24.6 million visitors, ranking second, followed by Singapore with 12.4 million and Vietnam with 11.2 million arrivals, as reported by data gathered from the tourism ministries of the respective countries.

Countries like Indonesia, the Philippines, and Cambodia have seen fewer than 10 million foreign arrivals within various timeframes. Specifically, as of late November, the Philippines had 4.6 million tourists, while Indonesia and Cambodia welcomed 9.5 million and 4.4 million visitors as of October, respectively.

In a bid to lure more foreign tourists, Southeast Asian nations implemented flexible immigration policies this year. Malaysia, following Thailand’s lead, began offering a 30-day visa-free entry to citizens from mainland China and India starting from December 1.

Malaysia’s Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, expressed optimism for a rise in tourist numbers after introducing the 30-day visa exemption for Chinese and Indian travelers.

Malaysia had 26.1 million international visitors in 2019 but saw a sharp decline to 4.33 million in 2020, an 83.4% drop attributed to the emergence of the COVID-19 outbreak that year.

After hitting a low of 130,000 visitors the following year, Malaysia’s tourist numbers bounced back to 10.1 million in 2022.