Malaysia, Thailand in close competition for tourists

Foreign arrivals to Malaysia have edged ahead of those in Thailand, signalling that the two countries are vying to become the favourite destinations for foreigners to Southeast Asia.

Statistics from the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) showed 21.1 million foreign arrivals so far in 2026. The figure was slightly ahead of 20.9 million arrivals recorded in Thailand from January to August, according to figures released by Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Tourism Malaysia did not specify the latest date on which the agency compiled its numbers.

The two countries were also in a neck-and-neck race for travellers from China in terms of growth. Malaysia welcomed 2.56 million Chinese visitors in the first half of this year, an increase of 17%, while 3.54 million Chinese tourists visited Thailand, up 16%.

Malaysia recorded 42 million foreign arrivals last year, compared with 33 million in Thailand. Visitor numbers have accelerated steadily since 2022 when air travel started to resume after it came to a halt during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysia is running a Visit Malaysia campaign, positioning the country as a multicultural nation, among other strategies, to lure more visitors.

"The positive trend reflects our success in attracting more foreign visitors, encouraging longer stays and increasing spending," Manoharan Periasamy, the Tourism Malaysia director-general wrote.

He made the remarks in the 2024 Malaysia Tourism Statistics in brief report, the latest posted on its website.

Malaysia categorises foreign arrivals into three groups - visitors entering the country for business, leisure or other purposes; tourists who stay overnight; and excursionists who are same-day visitors.

The definition is based on those of UN Tourism.

Bill Heinecke, founder and chairman of Bangkok-based Minor International, told the Bangkok Business Summit on Thursday that Malaysia was emerging as another major tourist destination in Southeast Asia as it continued to attract more visitors.

Mr Heinecke called on the government to ease the 30-day visa-free policy for tourists planning to visit Thailand for the health and wellness tourism as they would promote the hospitality sector for the country. Wellness and health tourists need longer stays in the country, he added.

Thailand projects 34 million foreign visitors this year.