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The Southeast Asian nation recorded a 38.64% increase in international arrivals in 2024 compared with 2023, ranking fourth globally.

The list is led by South Korea with a 48.82% increase, followed by Japan at 47.09% and Chile at 40.42%.

Vietnam’s strong performance reflects rising international interest in its cultural, natural and culinary attractions.

Its growth far surpasses other regional countries such as Thailand, which rose 26.27% at 12th place; Laos 25.29% (13th); Malaysia 24.20%, (15th); Cambodia 22.87%, (16th) and Singapore 21.22%, (20th).

Notably, El Salvador made the list of the fastest-growing tourist destinations at ninth, benefiting from improvements in public safety under president Nayib Bukele. The Central American country is expected to welcome 3.2 million international visitors in 2024, including more than 1.2 million from the United States, up 80% from 2019.

El Salvador ranks among the world’s fastest-growing destinations thanks to strict anti-crime policies that have drastically reduced its murder rate from 106.3 per 100,000 people a decade ago to 1.9 per 100,000 at present day, The Telegraph reported.

UNWTO data also highlights the broader context of tourism recovery. While countries like Thailand and Singapore are recovering, many destinations have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, including the Philippines (down 34.2%), Peru (down 25.5%), Hungary (down 22.3%), South Africa (down 12.8%), Australia (down 12.6%), Italy (down 10.5%) and Canada (down 10%).

In terms of total visitor numbers, France leads the world with 102 million tourists in 2024, followed by Spain (93.7 million) and the U.S. (72.3 million). China, Turkey, Italy, Mexico, Germany, the U.K. and Japan round out the top 10. In Southeast Asia, Thailand received 35.5 million visitors, ranked 12th; Malaysia got 25 million (17th) and Vietnam welcomed 17.4 million, placing 24th globally.

At the other end, Tuvalu recorded the fewest visitors. Of the 195 countries reporting tourism data to UNWTO since 2022, Tuvalu had just 200 visitors in 2022, roughly equivalent to a single flight. Data for 2023 and 2024 in this country are not yet available.