Tourism race heats up as Asian countries rush to simplify visa requirements

Vietnam

Amid a sharp drop in the number of foreign tourists post-pandemic, Vietnamese tourism insiders insistently called on the government to make a breakthrough in its visa policy to attract visitors.

On June 24, the National Assembly, Vietnam’s highest legislative body, approved a government proposal to triple the validity of tourist visas to 90 days and allow visitors multiple entries, with effect starting from Aug. 15.

Under the current immigration policy, Vietnam grants three-month tourist visas for citizens from all countries and territories.

The government also tripled the duration of stays in Vietnam to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries unilaterally exempted from visas: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the U.K., Russia, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Belarus.

With changes in visa policy, Vietnam has received 11.2 million foreign tourists so far this year, smashing this year’s 8-million target.

The government eyes 13 million foreign arrivals by the end of this month.

China

Starting from Dec. 1, China waived visas for citizens from five European countries – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain – along with Malaysia.

Citizens from these countries were allowed to stay in China for up to 15 days without a visa and the visa-free travel will last until November next year.

The Chinese government claimed the policy has brought a positive effect. Daily average tourist numbers from those countries have risen by 39% in the first three days of December compared to on the last day of November, Reuters reported, citing China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

Malaysians made up the largest group of foreigners to visit China following the visa exemption, according to China’s National Immigration Administration.

Chinese immigration authorities recorded a total of 1,113 Malaysian arrivals alone on the first day as the policy took effect.

In a move to boost inbound tourism, China cut visa fees by 25% for travelers from some countries including Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, from Dec. 11-31.

The visa fee for Vietnamese citizens entering China starts from US$45.

Amid a heating tourism race in the region, Thailand has taken bold steps to attract foreign tourists, especially Chinese arrivals.

Starting from Sept. 25, Thailand offered visa exemption from tourists from China and Kazakhstan under a policy that would last until next February.

Before the pandemic, China was the largest source of tourists for Thailand, accounting for 11 million out of a record 39.9 million in 2019.

From November, the Southeast Asia’s second largest economy began waiving visa requirements for arrivals from India and Taiwan.

India has been Thailand’s fourth-largest source market for tourism this year with about 1.2 million arrivals after Malaysia, China and South Korea, while arrivals from Taiwan have recently flocked to Thailand.

Also from November, Thailand tripled the duration of visa-free stays for Russians to 90 days as it seeks to attract Russians on their winter escape.

Thanks to swift visa exemption policies, Thailand welcomed over 25 million foreign arrivals so far this year and it is on course to meet its target of 28 million.

Thapanee Kiatphaibool, governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand, credited the successful revival of the tourism industry to the government’s economic and tourism stimulus campaigns.

Malaysia

Last July, the Malaysian government tripled the duration of the visa-free stay for Hong Kong passport holders to 90 days in a reciprocal move after Hong Kong offered the same privilege to Malaysians.

Starting from Dec 1, Malaysia allowed 30-day visa-free entry for citizens from mainland China and India in a similar move to Thailand.

Southeast Asia has recently emerged as a favored destination for Indian tourists, and Malaysia is the third Asian country after Sri Lanka and Thailand to allow them visa-free travel.

China and India currently hold the positions of Malaysia’s fourth and fifth tourism contributors, underlining the growing importance of these two Asian countries in shaping Malaysia’s tourism landscape.

Malaysia so far received 26 million foreign arrivals, becoming the most visited country in Southeast Asia.

This was also the country’s highest record since the pandemic outbreak in 2020.

Malaysia’s highest-ever record of yearly tourist arrivals was in 2014 with 27.44 million.

Singapore and China will put in place a 30-day mutual visa exemption agreement early next year, the Singapore foreign ministry said.

Chinese citizens are currently required to obtain a visa to enter Singapore.

Singapore has surpassed Thailand to become the most favored outbound destination of Chinese tourists, according to quarterly survey by Singapore-based digital marketing firm China Trading Desk released last October.

Deemed one of the world’s safest places, Singapore, famous for its strict laws and low crime rate, has started benefiting from changes in Chinese travel sentiment.

China is now Singapore’s second-largest source of foreign arrivals with 1.23 million so far this year, after Indonesia.

Indonesia

Indonesia is considering granting visa-free entry to nationals of 20 countries, including the U.S., China, Australia, India, South Korea, Germany, Britain and France.

The government will finalize the list of countries included in the provision within one month, its government said.

There were more than 16 million foreign arrivals in Indonesia in 2019, according to official data.

From January to October this year, Indonesia received 9.49 million foreign visitors, an increase of 124.3% from the same period in 2022.