According to travel firm ForwardKeys, international airline bookings to Southeast Asia had reached 38% of pre-pandemic levels by late March, after being less than 10% of 2019 levels 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 barriers for tourists, allowing them to freely explore upon arrival. These nations now mandate that vaccinated travelers only undergo a rapid antigen test before entering, unlike the more complex requirements in Thailand, which have caused the former tourist hotspot to fall out of favor. According to data from ForwardKeys, bookings in Singapore and the Philippines have reached 72% and 65% of 2019 levels, respectively, while Thailand is at just 24%. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, pointed out that the cost of on-arrival PCR tests in Thailand, ranging from 2,000-2,500 baht ($60-$75), can be a significant burden for groups and may deter people from traveling. She stated that if another country has less stringent entry requirements, travelers would prefer to go there to avoid the hassle. It is important to note that bookings are a forward-looking indicator, and arrival figures also include returning locals. According to Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst, Singapore and the Philippines have larger outbound markets compared to Thailand. However, Asia is slower in recovering compared to other regions like Europe, which lifted restrictions months ago. The International Air Transport Association predicts that domestic and international traffic in the Asia Pacific will only reach 68% of 2019 levels this year and will not reach pre-pandemic levels until 2025, a year behind the rest of the world. For instance, visitor numbers in Singapore increased significantly in February compared to last year when entry was restricted, but it was still only 9% of arrivals in February 2020 due to an influx of work visa holders from Malaysia and India. The central bank governor of Thailand stated that it will not be until 2026 for the country to fully recover. Tourism made up around 12% of Thailand's GDP in 2019. Southeast Asia's travel and tourism sector, which is known for its beautiful beaches, historic architecture, and warm weather, 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 to Southeast Asia, are currently unable to travel due to strict lockdowns. In 2019, over 25% of the 40 million tourists who visited Thailand were Chinese. This year, Thailand is expecting between 5 million and 10 million international arrivals from countries like Malaysia and other Southeast Asian neighbors. Japan, which is currently closed to tourists, has only seen a small number of travelers to Southeast Asia. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has prevented the usual high number of Russian tourists from visiting the region. In 2021, a third of travelers to Southeast Asia are from Europe, up from 22% in 2019, while those from North America have more than doubled to 21% from 9% in 2019. Asian travelers make up just 24% of visitors so far this year, compared to 57% in 2019, according to ForwardKeys. Rabil Lian, a tour guide with a prominent Singaporean travel agency, mentioned that there has been a significant improvement in bookings in Europe recently. Lian, who was temporarily employed by the government during the pandemic, has now resumed his job and has led five tour groups to Europe in the last four months. He also noted that Australia is becoming a popular destination, but many are waiting for Japan and Taiwan to relax their rules. In Vietnam, the number of foreign tourists in the first quarter of this year almost doubled compared to the previous year. The country recently removed most restrictions and is anticipating only about 25% of the international visitors it had in 2019. A Singaporean journalist, Justin Ong, visited Vietnam last month and noticed that despite the lack of tourism over the past two years, the famous food stores were still thriving due to domestic demand.