Southeast Asian tourists lose interest in traveling to US: survey

By Phuong Anh July 28, 2025 | 03:00 pm PT

Tourists stroll along Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, U.S. Photo by AFP

Nearly 80% of Southeast Asian travelers said the United States is becoming less appealing as a travel destination due to concerns over discrimination, gun violence, and high costs, according to a survey by CNBC Travel.

One in four respondents said their interest in visiting the U.S. has declined over the past six months, citing concerns about potential discrimination, actions by the Trump administration, and gun violence, issues they find more troubling than travel costs.

The survey of 6,000 international travelers from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia was conducted by market research company Milieu Insight from May 22 to June 10.

Recent years have seen a concerning increase in gun violence and mass shootings in the U.S.

Nearly half of those surveyed said they had visited the U.S. at least once in the past.

Some 55% of Singaporeans said they are less interested in visiting the U.S. than they were last November. Only 7% said they are now more interested in going, the data showed.

However, interest in the U.S. has increased in Vietnam and the Philippines.

Specifically, 57% of Vietnamese and 49% of Filipinos said they were more interested in going to the U.S. than they were six months ago.

Experts say this may be due to their diasporas in the U.S.

"Family ties, as well as the appeal of American pop culture, are still the driving forces behind many people wanting to come to this country," said Zilmiyah Kamble, a lecturer at James Cook University in Singapore, as cited by CNBC.