Explaining the numbers, she said foreign tourists visiting the kingdom in 2023 had risen by 11.06 million to 28.09 million or 153.94% when compared to 2022.
In comparison, Vietnam – which is also a popular tourist destination among the 10 ASEAN members – saw 12.06 million visitors last year, marking a surge of 344.2% from 3.66 million a year earlier.
Singapore saw 12.37 million in 2023, up by 130% from 5.37 million in 2022. Cambodia recorded 5.45 million tourists last year, 139.5% more than 2.27 million a year earlier. This was followed by the Philippines, which saw the number of tourists rise by 105.38% to 5.45 million, up from 2.65 million a year earlier.
Brunei welcomed a total of 82,109 tourists last year, a jump of 345.61% from 18,426 a year earlier.
The minister said that on average, ASEAN countries saw an increase of 153% in tourist arrivals last year, which she attributed to the success of two promotional tourism campaigns launched jointly by the member states.
