Top 5 destinations in South-east Asia

 

1. Malaysia

Clocked 23.6 million visitors last year, making it the highest-ranked South-east Asian country in the World Tourism Organisation's list of top travel destinations. Malacca, which became a World Heritage Site under Unesco in 2008, accounted for almost nine million tourists.

2. Thailand

Drew 14.1 million visitors to its shores last year, although this year's figures would be severely hit by the widespread protests and violence in the capital earlier in the year. At least 43 countries, including the United States, Britain and Australia, issued travel advisories against travelling to parts of the country.

3. Singapore

Attracted 9.7 million tourists last year despite the recession and has set an ambitious target of between 11.5 million and 12.5 million for this year. It looks set to meet its target with big events like the inaugural Youth Olympic Games and the Formula One night race. In 2008, arrivals hit an all-time high of 10.1 million.

4. Indonesia

For the biggest economy in South-east Asia, Indonesia had a relatively low visitorship of just 6.5 million last year. It has been rocked by several terrorist attacks in the last decade, although its beach resorts in Bali, Batam and Bintan are very popular with tourists.

5. Vietnam

The country's tourism figures had been rising steadily for the last decade until last year's recession coupled with a 30 per cent inflation jolted them back down to 3.7 million. Prices have since dropped and tourism figures are back on the upward trend.