Major visa changes spotlight Asia tourism landscape

Vietnam

Vietnam has been a bright spot in Southeast Asia as tourist arrivals reached nearly 16 million as of November and closed in on its 18-million target for the full year.

In July, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed the public security and foreign ministries to consider and amend visa policies to make it convenient for foreign tourists and create momentum for tourism recovery.

Vietnam now waives visas for travelers from 25 countries compared to 162 by Malaysia and Singapore, 157 by the Philippines and 93 by Thailand.

It issues three-month tourist visas to citizens from all countries and territories and in August last year tripled the duration of stay in Vietnam to 45 days for citizens of 13 countries unilaterally exempted from visas.

From Nov. 11 all international travelers can apply for e-visas through a new web portal, thithucdientu.gov.vn, as part of the government's efforts to simplify entry procedures.

Thailand

Thailand, whose economy heavily depends on tourism, rolled out a range of groundbreaking visa policies this year to reclaim its position as Southeast Asia's top destination, a title it lost to Malaysia in 2023.

One of the most notable was to permanently waive visas for Chinese tourists since March.

By June it increased visa-free stay for citizens of 93 countries and territories, up from the previous 57, allowing visitors to stay for up to 60 days.

It also introduced its Destination Thailand Visa from June that allows digital nomads, freelancers and tourists interested in activities like cooking and martial arts to stay for up to 180 days at a time over five years.

Last month it also indefinitely extended visa-free entry for Indian travelers to attract more arrivals from the world's most populous nation.

These policies have helped Thailand regain its status as a regional tourism leader.

As of Nov. 24 it had welcomed over 31 million international tourists, regaining its position as Southeast Asia's most visited country and closing in on its 36-million target for the year.

Chinese visitors accounted for the largest number at over six million, followed by tourists from Malaysia, India, South Korea, and Russia.

China

In an effort to speed up post-Covid tourism recovery, China has expanded its visa-free entry policy to include nearly 40 countries.

It reciprocally waived visa for visitors from Thailand permanently from March.

From Nov. 30 this year to Dec. 31, 2025, citizens of 38 countries and territories can stay without a visa for 30 days.

They include Malaysia, Japan, South Korea in Asia, a number of European countries, Australia, and New Zealand.

In the third quarter of this year China received 8.19 million foreign visitors, a 48.8% increase year-on-year. Of them, 4.89 million entered under the visa waiver scheme, a jump of 78.6%.

Singapore

The city-state has seen positive signs due to an influx of Chinese and Indian tourists this year.

From Feb. 9 it waived visa requirements for Chinese passport holders for stays of up to 30 days, and China promptly overtook Indonesia for the first time to become Singapore's largest source of visitors.

Tourists pose for photos with background of Esplanade Theaters at Merlion Park in Singapore, October 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Quy Nguyen

Th 2.71 million Chinese tourists represented a 40% increase from last year.

Singaporean authorities have streamlined the visa application process for Indian tourists, and as a result the number of Indian visitors rose by 13% to 898,000.

India has become the third-largest source of visitors, surpassing Australia.

Malaysia

In June Malaysia announced the extension of its visa exemption for Chinese tourists until the end of 2026.

This extension reciprocates China's agreement to extend its own visa exemption for Malaysian tourists until the end of next year, according to Free Malaysia Today.

The exemption for Chinese and Indian tourists began in December 2023.

By October Malaysia had received over 20 million foreign tourists, including 2.82 million Chinese visitors.

In 2019, before Covid broke out, there had been 3.1 million tourists from China.

Laos

To compete with neighbors, Laos also amended its visa policies for Chinese nationals this year.

Chinese tourists traveling in groups organized by officially registered agencies are now allowed 15-day visa-free stays.

Laos welcomed 3.3 million foreign tourists in the first 10 months of the year, a 19% increase from last year.

Thailand, Vietnam, and China were the top sources of tourists, according to the latest report from the Laos Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism.

Indonesia

Earlier this year Indonesia launched the Bali Remote Worker visa, also known as the E33G, that allows digital nomads to stay on the island for a maximum of one year and requires them to have an income of at least $60,000 a year.

In July it also introduced a new "golden visa" allowing stays of up to 10 years.

For five-year visas, individual investors are required to set up a company worth $2.5 million, while the 10-year option requires a $5-million investment.

The number of foreign visitors topped 10.37 million as of September, inching closer to the full-year target of 14 million, according to the country's Central Statistics Agency.