New Data Shows Americans Are Leading Southeast Asia's Recovery

Travelers from the United States are leading the travel and tourism industry's recovery in Southeast Asian countries, according to new findings from ForwardKeys.

Southeast Asia has been lagging far behind travel to other regions of the world. While travel to the Americas reached 66 percent of its pre-pandemic levels from January through May, Southeast Asia reached only 18 percent of its usual number of travelers.

This summer, from June through August, flights are reaching about 43 percent of the region's pre-pandemic flight numbers, indicating that the region is recovering at a much slower pace than the rest of the world.

But the majority of travelers visiting Southeast Asia seem to be Americans. In fact, long-haul flight bookings for the summer to the region from the U.S. are expected to reach 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels. The next closest region is Australia, which is seeing about 60 percent.

The top destinations that are seeing the most American arrivals this summer are the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. These are destinations that are relatively easier to enter than others in the region; many have also been open to travelers for months, which can help boost traveler confidence levels, even if they have to provide a test or proof of vaccination.

"Travel during the pandemic has been a function of pent-up demand pushing in one direction and pandemic protection rules pushing back in the opposite direction," said Olivier Ponti, VP of Insights at ForwardKeys. "The recovery of air travel in Southeast Asia is lagging because travel restrictions there have been tougher. China, which used to be Southeast Asia´s largest source market, is still effectively closed; Japan, another major market for travel, is reopening very cautiously and seat capacity, which is constrained, is leading to higher air fares, which in turn dampens demand."

Southeast Asia could see a jump in interest after July 31, when New Zealand is planned to fully reopen to international tourists after more than two years.

While Americans are leading the recovery of this economically battered region, it still has a long way to go before it's fully recovered; easing entry protocols and lowering the cost of flights will help spur more travelers to visit the region.

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