Southeast Asian cities among world’s top 10 destinations in 2025: Euromonitor
Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau and Kuala Lumpur made the top 10 list.
Major cities in Southeast Asian nations dominate Euromonitor’s Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025, with Bangkok in Thailand taking the top spot.
According to the index, Bangkok remains the top destination with 30.3 million international arrivals, despite headwinds from a stronger local currency, safety concerns, and intensifying regional competition.
Hong Kong follows, with international arrivals in 2025 reaching 23.2 million, a 6% growth. This growth was attributed to the launch of Kai Tak Stadium, which hosted major international football events.
The reopening of the expanded Terminal 2 at Hong Kong International Airport also boosted connectivity, contributing to inbound travel this year.
Macau ranked fourth with 20.4 million visitors, rising 14% year-over-year. About 90% of visitors come from China and Hong Kong.
Tourism initiatives such as Zhuhai residents’ “one trip per week” multi-entry programme and Hengqin visitors’ “Multiple Entries” policy helped boost inbound travel to the city.
In tenth place is Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, recording 17.3 million visitors, an increase of 5% from last year.
The Euromonitor International Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025, in collaboration with Lighthouse, assesses 100 cities using more than 50 metrics across six core pillars to deliver an overall city attractiveness score.
These pillars include economic and business activity, tourism performance, infrastructure, tourism policy and appeal, health and safety, and sustainability.
The cities in the index collectively account for 46% of global inbound tourism, continuing to outpace overall global growth, which stands at 4%.
According to the index, Bangkok remains the top destination with 30.3 million international arrivals, despite headwinds from a stronger local currency, safety concerns, and intensifying regional competition.
Hong Kong follows, with international arrivals in 2025 reaching 23.2 million, a 6% growth. This growth was attributed to the launch of Kai Tak Stadium, which hosted major international football events.
The reopening of the expanded Terminal 2 at Hong Kong International Airport also boosted connectivity, contributing to inbound travel this year.
Macau ranked fourth with 20.4 million visitors, rising 14% year-over-year. About 90% of visitors come from China and Hong Kong.
Tourism initiatives such as Zhuhai residents’ “one trip per week” multi-entry programme and Hengqin visitors’ “Multiple Entries” policy helped boost inbound travel to the city.
In tenth place is Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur, recording 17.3 million visitors, an increase of 5% from last year.
The Euromonitor International Top 100 City Destinations Index 2025, in collaboration with Lighthouse, assesses 100 cities using more than 50 metrics across six core pillars to deliver an overall city attractiveness score.
These pillars include economic and business activity, tourism performance, infrastructure, tourism policy and appeal, health and safety, and sustainability.
The cities in the index collectively account for 46% of global inbound tourism, continuing to outpace overall global growth, which stands at 4%.
