According to travel firm ForwardKeys, international airline bookings to Southeast Asia had reached 38% of pre-pandemic levels by late March, up from less than 10% at the beginning of the year. Singapore and the Philippines saw a significant increase in bookings, with Philippines tourism minister Bernadette Romulo-Puyat stating that they were the first to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles for tourists. This has made travelers happy as they are able to freely explore upon arrival. These nations now mandate that vaccinated travelers only need to undergo a rapid antigen test before reaching their destination, whereas Thailand's more complex requirements have caused it to lose its status as a top tourist destination. According to data from ForwardKeys, bookings in Singapore and the Philippines have reached 72% and 65% of 2019 levels, respectively, while Thailand's bookings are only at 24%. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, pointed out that the cost of on-arrival PCR tests in Thailand, which can range from 2,000-2,500 baht ($60-$75), can be a significant expense, particularly for group travelers, leading many to hesitate to travel. She added that if another country has fewer entry requirements, people would prefer to go there to avoid the hassle. It is important to note that bookings serve as a forward-looking indicator, and arrival numbers also include returning residents. Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst, pointed out that Singapore and the Philippines have significant outbound markets compared to Thailand. However, Asia is experiencing a slower recovery compared to other regions like Europe, which lifted restrictions months ago. The International Air Transport Association predicts that domestic and international air traffic in the Asia Pacific region will only reach 68% of 2019 levels this year and is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2025, a year later than the rest of the world. For instance, Singapore saw a significant increase in visitors in February compared to the previous year, but it was still only 9% of the arrivals in February 2020, and included a large number of work visa holders from Malaysia and India. According to the governor of Thailand's central bank, it will take the country until 2026 to fully recover. In 2019, tourism made up 12% of Thailand's GDP. Southeast Asia's travel and tourism industry contributed $380.6 billion to the region's GDP in 2019, accounting for 11.8% of the total. Chinese tourists, who used to be the largest group of international travelers in Asia, are currently unable to travel due to strict lockdowns. Over a quarter of the 40 million tourists who visited Thailand in 2019 were Chinese. This year, Thailand is expecting between 5 million and 10 million international visitors from countries such as Malaysia and other Southeast Asian neighbors. Japan, currently closed to tourists, has had few travelers to Southeast Asia, while the conflict in Ukraine has deterred the usual influx of Russian tourists. A third of this year's visitors to Southeast Asia are from Europe, an increase from 22% in 2019, with North American visitors more than doubling to 21% from 9% in 2019. Asian travelers have made up just 24% of visitors so far this year, down from 57% in 2019, according to data from ForwardKeys. Rabil Lian, a tour guide with a top Singaporean travel agency, recently returned to his job after temporarily working for the government during the pandemic. He has noticed a significant increase in bookings for European tours, as well as growing interest in Australia as a destination. However, he mentioned that many travelers are eagerly awaiting the easing of travel restrictions in Japan and Taiwan. In Vietnam, the number of foreign tourists has almost doubled in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year. However, despite lifting most restrictions just last month, the country anticipates only about 25% of the international arrivals it had in 2019. Singaporean journalist Justin Ong recently visited Vietnam and noted that popular food stores were still in business due to strong domestic demand, suggesting that the absence of tourism over the past two years did not create a significant gap.