Asia's most loved country receives over 13 million foreign visitors in Jan-April

By Hoang Phong June 4, 2025 | 03:47 pm PT

Travelers push their trolley past a logo of Malaysia Airports at the departure hall of Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, outside Kuala Lumpur, Aug. 26, 2013. Photo by Reuters

Malaysia, named Asia's most loved country, welcomed 13.3 million foreign arrivals in the first four months of this year, up 21% year-on-year and 12% against the same period of pre-Covid levels in 2019.

Singapore was the largest source of visitors to Malaysia during the period with 6.5 million visitors, followed by Indonesia (1.46 million), China (1.44 million), Thailand (833,000) and India (484,000), according to statistics from Tourism Malaysia.

Malaysia, named Asia's most loved country in 2024 by the American finance website Insider Monkey, introduced a 30-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese and Indians citizens in December 2023 and has extended the scheme until 2026.

The Southeast Asian country recently announced the extension of its visa exemption for Chinese travelers for an additional five years, with the possibility of extending it for another five years until 2036, according to Bernama.

Thailand welcomes 12.09 million foreign tourists between January and April while Vietnam recorded 7.67 million and Indonesia 4.33 million.

Southeast Asian countries are racing to relax visa policies in an effort to draw more foreign travelers.