International tourist arrivals across Asia and the Pacific increased by 1% year over year in the first half of 2026, according to the latest UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer.

Asia-Pacific recorded 331 million international arrivals in 2025, ending just 9% below pre-pandemic arrival levels. However, the gap widened to 11% in the first half of 2026 as growth slowed, indicating that there is still considerable scope for further recovery. Connectivity disruption linked to the situation in the Middle East, together with higher airfares and wider geopolitical uncertainty, weighed on some long-haul and intra-regional travel during the period. International airline capacity declined by 0.6% globally in the first half, with capacity serving the Middle East particularly affected.

Performance varied considerably across Asia-Pacific. Northeast Asia recorded 3% growth in international arrivals, while South Asia declined by 5% and Southeast Asia by 1%. The impact of disruption to routes through Middle Eastern hubs was felt beyond the Gulf itself, particularly on connections between Asia and Europe.

Several individual destinations nevertheless posted impressive results. Bhutan saw international arrivals rise by 31% in the first half of 2026, Mongolia by 27% and the Republic of Korea by 21%.

Vietnam was another standout performer. The country welcomed 12.3 million international visitors during the first six months of the year, up 15% year over year. Its tourism authorities are targeting 25 million international arrivals for the whole of 2026, following a record 21.5 million in 2025.

China is also supporting the region’s recovery by easing entry requirements. Its unilateral visa-free scheme now allows travelers from 50 countries to stay for up to 30 days, helping drive 30.08 million visa-free entries in 2025, up 49.5% year over year.

Oceania also remained firmly in positive territory, with international arrivals increasing by 4%. New Caledonia was among the strongest-performing destinations worldwide, up 41%, followed by Vanuatu at 30% and Palau at 29%.

Arrival numbers tell only part of the story. Several Asian destinations recorded substantial year-over-year increases in international tourism receipts during the first half of 2026. Pakistan led with an 81% increase, followed by the Republic of Korea at 36%, Laos at 32% and Malaysia at 23%.

Modest growth in visitor numbers can still generate strong economic returns. Prices, exchange rates and changing spending patterns all influence tourism receipts, but the results also point to a wider shift in how destinations measure success.

The divergence between arrivals and tourism receipts reinforces the growing importance of value rather than simply visitor volume, particularly as destinations face capacity constraints, higher operating costs and pressure to make tourism more economically sustainable. Disruption may also accelerate a shift to placing greater emphasis on higher-value tourism, resilience and quality over sheer quantity.

Key figures:

+1% international arrivals across Asia-Pacific in H1 2026

331 million international arrivals in 2025