January 12, 2026 | 08:37 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - For the second consecutive year, tourist visits to Malaysia has exceeded that of Thailand. Malaysia welcomed 38.3 million foreign tourist arrivals in the first 11 months of 2025, surpassing the total recorded for the entire 2024, according to Tourism Malaysia under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, as cited by Vn Express.
Meanwhile, Thailand received 32.9 million arrivals for the entire year 2025, marking a 7 percent decrease from the previous year. This is the first annual decline in international arrivals in a decade outside the pandemic period.
Revenue from foreign tourists also fell by 4.7 percent annually to about 1.53 trillion baht (approximately Rp827 trillion), according to Skift.
Thailand's tourism slowdown began early last year. In April, the country lowered its estimated international tourism revenue for 2025 from 2.3 trillion THB to 2 trillion THB (Rp1.08 trillion). The government also revised its target for Chinese tourists, reducing the expectation from 8 million visitors to 6.7 million, the same level as recorded in 2024. However, only 4.4 million Chinese tourists visited the country in 2025.
Thailand was once a tourism powerhouse in Southeast Asia. However, it suffered setbacks last year due to several reasons, including abductions, fatal earthquakes, border tensions with Cambodia, and severe flooding.
Visa Policies and Tourism Infrastructure
The surge in tourist visits to Malaysia in 2025 is attributed to flexible visa policies and enhanced infrastructure. In May, Malaysia announced the extension of visa exemption for Chinese tourists for another five years, with an option to extend for an additional five years or until 2036. Malaysia also granted visa-free entry for Indian citizens until 2026. These strategic decisions aim to attract a large volume of visitors from the two largest foreign tourism markets in Asia.
The Malaysian government also expanded international flight routes and improved Terminal 1 at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Read: Rome Named Top Noctourism Destination for 2026
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