Which Southeast Asian country receives highest number of Chinese tourists in 2024?

Vietnam emerged as a strong competitor in the region, ranking second with 3.73 million Chinese arrivals.

Malaysia ranked third with 3.29 million Chinese visitors, followed by Singapore with 3.08 million, according to data from tourism ministries across Southeast Asia.

Industry insiders attribute Vietnam's surge in Chinese tourists to increased tourism campaigns, its geographical proximity to China, and affordable travel costs.

The remaining top destinations were Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Myanmar.

Southeast Asian countries have raced to attract tourists from the world's largest outbound tourism market with flexible immigration policies.

Thailand permanently made entry for Chinese tourists visa-free since March last year.

Malaysia introduced a 30-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese citizens in December 2023 and has extended the scheme until 2026.

Singapore and China implemented a mutual visa waiver in February 2024, which helped the latter surpass Indonesia as the city-state's largest source of tourists.

Laos began allowing Chinese tourists traveling in groups to enter visa-free for 15 days starting July 1, 2024.