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ASEAN tourists prefer Thailand over Indonesia: Study
The annual survey sought to measure the perceived soft power of several major countries like Japan, Australia and the United States, as well as the ten countries comprising ASEAN.
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People sit by the lake at Benchakitti Park on March 5, 2024, in Bangkok. (AFP/Manan Vatsyayana)
S
outheast Asian tourists are significantly more likely to choose Thailand over Indonesia for their holidays, a new study has found, with travelers citing the lack of accessibility and freedom as reasons behind Indonesia’s lagging tourism appeal.
However, Indonesia remains a popular holiday destination for its own citizens, with half of the population preferring to vacation domestically, the same study found.
In the annual State of Southeast Asia study published last week by Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute think tank, nearly 2,000 respondents from the region were asked a series of questions aimed at probing their perspectives on various regional and global issues.
The survey included inquiries to measure the perceived soft power of several major countries like Japan, Australia and the United States, as well as the ten countries comprising ASEAN.
Soft power, or the perceived economic and cultural influence of a country on the global stage, was measured in the study through questions about preferred holiday destinations and relocation choices. Japan, it found, topped Southeast Asian travelers’ holiday preferences, with 30.4 percent of all respondents choosing Japan as their favorite destination.
Travel to a fellow ASEAN member state was the second-most popular choice with 16.2 percent, or 313 respondents, a significant portion of which named Thailand the best ASEAN nation for vacationing.
Topping the region at 30.6 percent, Thailand was followed by Indonesia (14 percent) and Malaysia (13.9). Among the worst-performing countries were Cambodia (3.9), Brunei (2.8) and Myanmar (0.4), it found.
