ASEAN destinations enjoy European travel boost
New data shows that ASEAN destinations are benefiting from growing connectivity with Europe, as more and more tourists visit the region.
Vietnam stands out as the country experiencing the greatest influx of European travellers, but Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia are all enjoying significant growth too.
Last year brought 2.2 million European travellers to Vietnam, largely from source markets such as Russia, France, Germany and the UK, which have all experienced considerable growth over the past three years.
European travellers spent more than US$700bn on the global tourism economy (outbound tourism expenditure) in 2019, making them a hugely desirable market for any destination to engage.
GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Tourism Destination Market Insights: Association of South East Asian Nations – ASEAN’, found that Russia, France, Germany and the UK are some of the fastest growing source markets for the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. Germany in particular holds the highest projected compound annual growth rate at 8.02 per cent for a European inbound market for 2020-2023.
According to the CBI Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Europeans are known for holding interest in developing tourism destinations that remain authentic to origin. Promising market segments include culture, gastronomy, nature-based, adventure and backpacking adventures, all of which the ASEAN region boasts in abundance.
Johanna Bonhill-Smith, Travel and Tourism analyst at GlobalData, said: “Vietnam has grown in popularity over the past few years thanks in part to increased international promotion.
“At the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2019, the country was named ‘Asia’s best golf destination’ alongside the ‘World’s Leading Heritage destination’, helping Vietnam gain added traction.
“By 2023, all selected markets, as previously mentioned are forecast substantial growth into Vietnam. The long awaited comprehensive air transport agreement (CATA) between the EU (European Union) and ASEAN region is further likely to provide a substantial boost to air traffic between connecting destinations.”
National tourism organisations and destination management organisations will certainly be aiming to take advantage of this growth, with developing destinations such as Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar encouraged to develop bilateral relations as a beneficial way to form joint promotions and increase the traction of both destinations.
Bonhill-Smith added: “Ultimately, with aspirations to more equally distribute the benefits of tourism throughout the ASEAN region, engaging source markets across Europe could prove extremely beneficial for the whole tourism economy.”