Vietnam and Macau – two jurisdictions boasting sizeable casino industries – are expected to post the fastest growth in tourist arrivals in the Asia-Pacific region across the period from 2025 to 2027.
That is according to the “PATA Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2026-2028: Mid-Year Update”. The report was produced by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in collaboration with the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism at the School of Hotel and Tourism Management of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
One of the report’s findings is the growing divergence in tourist-destination performance across Asia Pacific. The organisation said that while the industry region-wide was “expanding”, some destinations “are significantly outperforming others in terms of growth and recovery” in the post-Covid-19 period. That was per a PATA press release issued this week.
Among the region’s 10 largest destinations by inbound-tourist volume, Vietnam is forecast to record the strongest growth between 2025 and 2027, with international visitor arrivals increasing by 31.2 percent to reach 27.8 million.
The country is home to a number of casinos and slot parlours, most of which target foreign passport holders. Only the Corona Resort & Casino, on Phu Quoc Island, and The Grand Ho Tram casino resort, near Ho Chi Minh City, are currently permitted by the local authorities to offer gambling not only to foreign players but also to economically-qualified locals.
According to the latest PATA report, Macau is expected to record the second-fastest growth in visitor arrivals between 2025 and 2027, at 19.4 percent.
A number of gaming analysts have said that, while Macau’s visitor volume is not in itself a proxy for the level of gambling demand at the city’s 20 licensed casinos, strong visitor flows provide opportunities to market gaming services.
Malaysia, home to the casino monopoly of Resorts World Genting near Kuala Lumpur, is expected to record visitor arrival growth of 11.6 percent between 2025 and 2027.
The updated outlook projects that international visitor arrivals across 39 Asia-Pacific destinations will reach 714.9 million in 2026, increasing to 758.8 million in 2027 and 789.2 million by 2028.
“By the end of the forecast period, visitor arrivals are expected to reach 115.6 percent of 2019 levels, confirming that the region has moved beyond [Covid-19] recovery and entered a new phase of tourism expansion,” PATA noted.
The projection suggests that some of the Asia-Pacific region’s largest destinations are entering a more mature phase of growth. The Chinese mainland, while remaining Asia Pacific’s largest destination, with 157.8 million arrivals projected in 2027, is expected to grow by just 2.2 percent over 2025 levels.
“The latest forecasts demonstrate the remarkable resilience of Asia Pacific tourism,” PATA chief executive Noor Ahmad Hamid stated in comments carried in the press release.
He added: “While the region continues to grow and recover, success will increasingly depend on destinations’ ability to navigate geopolitical uncertainty, evolving traveller behaviour, connectivity challenges, and rising operational costs.”
Despite the positive outlook, the report identifies several risks that could influence tourism performance over the coming years. “Escalating geopolitical tensions and energy market volatility have increased concerns regarding fuel prices, aviation costs, and air connectivity,” PATA said in its release.
“Continued inflationary pressures and higher living costs in several source markets may also affect discretionary travel spending, particularly among middle-income households and long-haul travellers,” it added.
Credit specialist S&P Global said in a third-quarter roundup of industrial sectors in the region that the Asia-Pacific gaming sector was likely to experience “moderate demand amid macro challenges” over the next 12 months.
“If high oil prices persist, travel demand may soften as consumers cut discretionary leisure spending,” suggested the sector summary by primary credit analyst Flora Chang, based in Hong Kong.
