Southeast Asia eyes ‘double benefit’ of tapping China, India tourists post-Covid

Southeast Asian nations, unlike the US and Europe, have relatively easy visa access for Indian nationals, boosting a tourism rebound this year

India will be the fastest-growing inbound market, in percentage terms, for many Southeast Asia countries, as Chinese tourists cut back on splurging

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Indian tourists arrive at Bangkok airport. Southeast Asian nations are opening their doors wider to Indian travellers, with Thailand and Malaysia leading the way with visa-free travel. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 7:30pm, 11 Dec 2023Updated: 8:27pm, 11 Dec 2023

Viraj Bisht regularly flies with a bunch of travel buddies from India to Thailand, where they motor across the country’s northern highlands in Chiang Mai.

“I love the culture, it’s very secluded, cheap to stay, and the food is great,” he said. “I am planning to go again in February or March.”

Other Southeast Asian nations are also opening their doors wider to Indian travellers, with Malaysia allowing visa-free travel for up to 30 days since this month and Indonesia reportedly considering the same for travellers from 20 nations.

Tourists visit Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple. Southeast Asian nations like Vietnam and Cambodia, unlike the US and Europe, have relatively easy visa access for Indian nationals, helping to usher in a tourism rebound this year across the region. Photo: AFP

Unlike the United States and Europe, Vietnam and Cambodia, too, have relatively easy visa access for Indian nationals, helping to usher in a tourism rebound this year across Southeast Asia despite a slower-than-anticipated tourism recovery from the region’s mainstay Chinese travellers.

“More destinations in Southeast Asia are introducing direct flights to/from India to meet increasing demand for travel to the region,” said Gary Bowerman, director of Check in Asia and co-host of travel podcast The South East Asia Travel Show. “Through 2030, India will be the fastest growing inbound market in percentage terms for many Southeast Asian countries.”

Indian tourists from New Delhi arrive at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport. India’s outbound travel has the potential to grow from 13 million trips in 2022 to over 80 million by 2040, said a November McKinsey report. Photo: EPA-EFE

With around 5.3 million tourist arrivals from India to the 10 Asean nations before Covid-19 hit in 2019, compared to China’s 32.2 million before the pandemic in 2019, clearly India has a lot of catching up to do.