What: The Asia Pacific travel landscape is changing rapidly, with systemic shifts in international relations, currency valuations and economic growth driving new patterns.

Why is it important: Post-pandemic shifts in travel have given rise to new drivers in tourism, the key ones being a changed economic outlook for Mainland China, currency revaluations, and newly emerging middle classes.

Outbound travel from Mainland China is still only at less than two-thirds of its pre-pandemic level, and those who are travelling are more focused on visits to Macau and Hong Kong. Destinations such as Japan and Thailand are seeing a surge in arrivals after the rapid rise of interest rates in the US which caused many Asia Pacific currencies—particularly the Japanese yen—to weaken. By the same token, residents of locations affected by currency depreciations are staying close to home. Meanwhile, rising incomes and a growing middle class in India, Malaysia and Indonesia are enabling more of the newly affluent to travel abroad, particularly to more affordable destinations in Southeast Asia. Outbound visitor numbers in the region are expected to grow by 20-25 percent in 2025.

Visa Economic Insights on APAC Travel