Myanmar topped the Top-20 list of the fastest growing countries for tourism with 40.2 percent increase of visitors in 2019. Vietnam is ranked 7th with 16.2 percent, the Philippines – 8th with 15.1 percent and Laos – 16th with 11.5 percent.
According to the UNWTO reports, the Middle East region grew faster than the rest of the world adding 8 percent to its year-to-year results while Asia and the Pacific was a close runner-up, up by 5 percent.
In many countries the Chinese tourists were the driving force ensuring growth and for many as well this means that 2020's results may be much less impressive due to the negative impact of the coronavirus outbreak followed by travel restrictions for Chinese travellers.
Here is the full list of the 20 (21 in fact) fastest growing countries for tourism:
1. Myanmar – 40.2%
2. Puerto Rico – 31.2%
3. Iran – 27.9%
4. Uzbekistan – 27.3%
5. Montenegro – 21.4%
6. Egypt – 21.1%
7. Vietnam – 16.2%
8. Philippines – 15.1
9. Maldives – 14.9%
10. Bahamas – 14.6%
11. Qatar – 14.5%
12. Armenia – 14.4%
12. South Korea – 14.4%
13. Turkey – 14%
14. Bosnia and Herzegovina – 13.7%
15. Tunisia – 13.6%
16. Laos – 11.5%
17. Azerbaijan – 11.4%
18. Israel – 10.5%
19. Lithuania – 10.1%
20. Kazakhstan – 10.0%
4 SEA Countries among World's Top–20 Fastest Growing Tourism Destinations
News in Asia
UNWTO, the United Nations World Tourism Organization, has included four SEA countries into the list of the world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations. In 2019, Myanmar, Vietnam, the Philippines and Laos showed an impressive increase of international tourist arrivals.