British travellers are driving tourism levels in the Asia-Pacific region, according to a new report from Bookaway Group.
The ground transportation provider found pent-up demand has resulted in an increased number of tourists to Thailand and Vietnam, with numbers reaching "record levels".
Traditionally, Thailand’s peak season runs from November to February, whereas Vietnam’s busiest period is from October to March and tends to see a peak in international inbound visits between October and December.
However, the new data trends show a positive reaction to the streamlining of approval processes for the Thai Pass and the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions in Vietnam on 15 May, with ground transportation bookings rising for both bus and ferry rides.
Travellers are arriving predominantly from the UK, retaining its top spot from 2019 for both Vietnam and Thailand. In Thailand, travellers from France and Germany take up second and third space respectively.
According to the group, the number of tickets sold to Thailand has climbed every month this year; March volumes were 61% up on February, April was up 23% on March and May up 4% on April.
Meanwhile, Vietnam data trends show travellers are currently more willing "to let go" of traditional time constrictions for travel, embracing travel at different times of the year. March was ahead of February, with month-on-month increases ever since.
Noam Toister, chief executive of Bookaway Group, said: "Our latest data builds on what we found earlier in the year and confirms that pent-up demand is real. As more countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, lift the last remaining Covid restrictions, travelers start to book.
"Same as with indicators from airlines which also shows significant month-on-month and year-on-year increases in Asia-Pacific, and from hotels where occupancies are on the rise, the ground transportation travel aligns with this data as together, the three create the overall travel experience."
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