November 24, 2023
Bangkok – At the time, the top 10 most visited destinations in the region were:
China: 65.7 million visitors
Thailand: 39.8 million tourists
Japan: 32.2 million visitors
Malaysia: 26.1 million tourists
Hong Kong: 23.8 million visitors
Macau: 18.6 million visitors
Vietnam: 18 million tourists
India: 17.9 million visitors
South Korea: 17.5 million visitors
Indonesia: 15.5 million tourists
Then the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic hit, and that number plummeted. Recovery now appears to be well underway, with Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand all developing strategies to attract tourists. Here we take a look at their strengths in the competition for tourism dominance in Asia.
Japan
The country will close its borders to foreign tourists on October 11, 2022, after the disappointment of not being able to host the 2020 Olympics due to the pandemic and missing the opportunity to attract 40 million international tourists. Reopened and made a new start.
According to a report by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), statistics from January to September this year show that the cumulative number of foreign tourists who entered Japan reached 17,374,300, compared to the same period in 2019. It was revealed that the recovery was 71.2%.
South Korea topped the list with 4,894,800 tourists, a 99% recovery compared to 2019.
Taiwan recorded 2,974,600 visitors, an 80% recovery and secured second place. China ranked third with 1,597,800 visitors and recovered only 22%. Hong Kong was in fourth place with 1,483,600 people, a 90% recovery.
The United States came in fifth place with 1,466,100 visitors, representing an increase of 15%. Thailand recorded her 631,100 visitors, a 73% recovery and secured 6th place. Nevertheless, Thailand maintains its position as the main tourism market from the ASEAN region, sending the most tourists to Japan.
Charoen Wangananon, chairman of the Thailand Travel Agents Association (TTAA), points out that Japan’s tourism industry has consistently shown strong recovery.
He attributes this to the weak yen (as of this month, 100 yen is about 23 to 24 baht) and Japan’s diverse tourist destinations, which are attracting tourists from all regions.
Additionally, since Japan has an extensive railway network that covers the whole country, it is easier to promote tourism in secondary cities compared to Thailand. At the same time, Japan maintains a reputation for safety, which instills confidence in foreign travelers.
Additionally, Japan’s tourism promotion agencies have a clear strategy to attract tourists from ASEAN markets, taking measures such as visa-free travel to Japan.
There also appears to have been some success, with more than 439,000 Vietnamese tourists visiting Japan in the first nine months of this year, an increase of 17% compared to the same period last year.
South Korea
In order to attract as many tourists as possible to South Korea, we have designated 2023 to 2024 as the “Year of Visiting Korea,” and have implemented a “100 Korean Tourism Activities” campaign to connect tourists with Korean culture.
James Lee, vice chairman of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), says one of the key strategies is to expand the tourist base from ASEAN markets.
Furthermore, South Korea is promoting “smart tourism,” which provides convenient services to tourists through mobile apps.
“The goal for 2023 is for 10 million overseas tourists to visit South Korea, and in 2024 the situation will fully recover to pre-COVID-19 levels, with 17.5 million tourists visiting annually. I expect that,” Lee said.
Another important strategy is the global influence of South Korea’s soft power, and several campaigns have already been launched to leverage the cultural influence of “K-culture.”
Vietnam
Vietnam, another rising star, also refuses to retreat into the shadows.
Before the COVID-19 era, we were experiencing impressive and strong growth.
At present, it emphasizes natural resources and boasts “artificial charm” that effectively attracts interest. The affordable cost of living makes it a strong contender in the competition for Thai tourists.
The Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board predicts that the number of international tourists could significantly exceed 12-13 million in 2023.
According to statistics collected by the Vietnam National Tourism Administration (VNAT), Vietnam received more than 9,997,928 international tourists in the first 10 months of 2023.
South Korea topped the list with 2,906,011 people, followed by China with 1,306,942 people, Taiwan with 666,629 people, the US with 598,933 people, Japan with 468,732 people, and Thailand with 391,822 people.
Thailand
The Thai government aims to make tourism a major economic driver and generate quick income.
Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor Tapani Khiafaiburu said Prime Minister Suretta Thavisin has requested that total tourism receipts be increased from the current target of 3 trillion baht to 3.5 trillion baht in 2024.
This adjustment represents a 100% recovery compared to pre-coronavirus 2019 and is aimed at increasing revenue from overseas markets.
After analyzing the revenue distribution between domestic and international markets, TAT concluded that an additional 2.5 trillion baht needs to be generated from international markets in 2024, an additional 500 billion baht more than the current target.
This will be achieved by attracting at least 35 million international tourists.
The aim is to achieve the target of 3 trillion baht in international market revenue by 2025, in line with the policy of Minister of Tourism and Sports Sudhawan Wangspakikosol.
TAT continues to aim for total tourism receipts of 2.38 trillion baht in 2023, which corresponds to an 80% recovery compared to 2019. This target is based on the expectation that 25-28 million international tourists will generate 1.6 trillion baht and 200 million Thai tourists will generate 800 billion baht.
In the first 10 months of 2023, Thailand hosted a total of 21,882,227 international tourists, generating revenue of 963,142 million baht.
The top five countries for international arrivals were Malaysia (3,342,819), China (2,778,595), South Korea (1,313,781), India (1,283,340) and Russia (1,097,361).
TAT has launched the so-called “PASS” strategy to promote tourism in 2024.
1. Partnership 360: We work with partners inside and outside the tourism industry.
2. Accelerate access to the digital world: Develop an organization based on data-driven marketing and digital technologies.
3. Subculture Movements: Delve into the dynamics of subcultures. Although Thailand is a tourist powerhouse, global competition for tourists is extremely fierce. Therefore, TAT aims to continue segmenting the market by targeting both mainstream and niche interest groups. It will be important to tap into the preferences of specific subcultures.
4. Sustainable now: immediate efforts towards sustainable tourism.
Thassaphon Vijileveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia and Chairman of the Thai Airways Association, said that from a private sector perspective, one of the key issues that requires state intervention and promotion is Disneyland and other facilities like Disneyland. He pointed out that the aim is to encourage investment in man-made attractions such as amusement parks. Universal Studios in the northeast.
Only when carefully preserved natural tourist attractions are combined with investment in man-made tourist attractions and infrastructure development to support tourism can the international tourist market be fully optimized, he said. .
