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Malaysia continues beating Thailand to become Southeast Asia’s tourism champion

Sandy Verma | August 2, 2025 11:24 AM CST

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing poses with people during her trip to Malaysia’s Melaka, June 2024. Photo courtesy of Fan Bingbing’s Instagram

Malaysia recorded 16.9 million international tourist arrivals from January to May, even already beating Thailand’s first-half figure of 16.61 million.

In previous years, Thailand consistently claimed the title of regional tourism leader but Malaysia has become a bright spot in the region this year.

Malaysia’s growth has been driven by its strong visa-free policy, improved infrastructure, and targeted marketing campaigns, media platform Travel and Tour World reported.

Malaysia recently announced the extension of visa exemption for Chinese travelers for another five years, with an option to extend it for an additional five years until 2036, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

It has also extended its visa-free entry for Indian tourists until 2026.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s Terminal 1 has undergone an upgrade worth RM30 million (US$7 million) to deal with surge in tourist numbers.

To address safety concerns, Malaysia also denied entry to hundreds of foreigners on flights deemed “high-risk” and tightened security at airports across the country.

Thailand has grappled with a series of tourism challenges since the beginning of this year.

The kidnapping of Chinese actor Xing Xing in January linked to a scam syndicate in Myanmar as well as the deadly March 28 earthquake have deterred foreign travelers, particularly from China.

Escalating military clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border last month have also begun to take a toll on Thailand’s tourism industry, triggering a surge in accommodation cancellations across provinces near the fighting.