Phạm TúThailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia are the top three countries in Southeast Asia attracting the most international tourists. While Thailand stands as a tourism powerhouse with over 35 million international visitors in 2024, Vietnam and Indonesia are actively catching up, with more than 17 million and over 11 million visitors, respectively.
Thailand and Indonesia appear more proactive in promoting national tourism on social media and collaborating with international influencers in target markets. Meanwhile, Vietnam is still lagging behind in engaging with international content creators.
Thailand collaborates with influencers to attract Chinese tourists
China is a critically important market for Thailand’s tourism industry. Chinese tourists accounted for 20% of the total international visitors to Thailand in 2024. On the other hand, the Chinese market operates its own network of social media platforms, distinct from the globally popular ones. Therefore, enhancing presence on Chinese social media channels through influencer content is a smart and straightforward approach.
In 2024, Thailand set a target of attracting 8 million Chinese tourists. To achieve this goal, as early as December 2023, Thailand partnered with ByteDance to invite 93 content creators from the Douyin app to join an experiential tourism trip to Thailand. Organized by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the trip showcased distinctive aspects of Thai culture, providing influencers with ample material to create compelling travel content about Thailand. According to a Finn Partners report, Chinese social media stars play a significant role in shaping appealing travel destinations for the public, particularly among younger tourists.
Beyond China, Thailand also targets neighboring Southeast Asian countries, a market where Thailand has consistently been a top destination for locals. In March 2024, Thailand invited 23 influencers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Singapore, and Brunei to participate in an experiential tour of the “Land of the Golden Temples.” Following the campaign, a wave of content about shopping and culinary experiences in Thailand spread across Southeast Asia on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
Capitalizing on this success, in August 2024, Thailand collaborated with TikTok Thailand and Klook to launch a social media advertising campaign titled “Amazing Thailand Passion Ambassador.” The campaign aimed to generate a flood of User-Generated Content by encouraging tourists to share videos of their amazing experiences in Thailand for a chance to win attractive rewards. This campaign garnered significant engagement on social media.
Indonesia spends millions of dollars to attract international influencers
Since 2020, Indonesia has demonstrated a strong commitment to investing heavily in influencer marketing to revive its tourism industry following the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the Indonesian government allocated a budget of 5.2 million USD to collaborate with international KOLs. These influencers were to come from Indonesia’s target markets, including the United States, Australia, India, Europe, and the Middle East. They were tasked with visiting and promoting 10 attractive yet lesser-known destinations beyond Bali. The Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy personally selected the influencers for the program. It is known that the ministry attempted to reach out to the globally renowned music group BTS but failed due to insufficient funding. Nevertheless, this campaign reflects Indonesia’s significant efforts to revitalize its national tourism industry.
Similar to Thailand, Indonesia’s tourism sector has also devoted considerable effort to attracting Chinese tourists through influencers. In August 2023, shortly after China reopened its borders for travel to Indonesia, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy partnered with the Douyin app to invite four prominent KOLs from the platform to promote Indonesian tourism. These four KOLs embarked on a trip to Bali and Labuan, where they experienced a range of resort services, entertainment, and the stunning natural beauty of the areas. This was part of Indonesia’s #ItsTimeforBali promotional campaign.
Indonesia also became the first Southeast Asian country to expand collaboration with Indian influencers. India is one of the major contributors to Indonesia’s international tourist numbers. Indian travelers are particularly drawn to Bali’s allure and enjoy hosting lavish weddings on this paradise island. Specifically, in February 2023, Indonesia participated in the South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) international tourism exhibition in New Delhi. Following their appearance at the event, Indonesia continued to boost promotion by inviting Indian KOLs to join a tour exploring Labuan—one of the key destinations Indonesia is focusing on promoting. The three KOLs who participated in the program were Anupriya (IG @anupriyakapur), Rashmi Chadha (IG @rashmichadha), and Mahi Sharma (IG @maahieway).
More recently, in November 2024, the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore invited a group of influencers from the Lion City to join an experiential trip to Bintan Island. Notable Singaporean influencers who participated included @sakura_bear, @cherrlyn, @foodilicious_diva, and @serenefoodology. The program helped promote the tourism potential and unique natural beauty of Bintan Island.
Despite sporadic efforts, Vietnam still lags behind in promoting tourism through influencer marketing
China and India are both significant tourism markets for Vietnam. Chinese tourists rank second in number after South Koreans, while India is an emerging market with a growing number of visitors in recent years. However, unlike its two neighboring countries, Vietnam has yet to approach these markets through influencers.
On the other hand, with the South Korean market, Vietnam holds advantages such as being a top favorite destination for Korean tourists, and many A-list stars from the “Land of Kimchi” frequently vacation in Vietnam. Yet, we have not capitalized on this advantage to promote the country’s reputation or reinforce its positioning as a beloved destination for Korean celebrities.
Efforts to collaborate with international KOLs have been limited to private enterprises with substantial financial resources, such as VinFast or VinHomes. In 2024, VinFast organized the Asian Elite Tour, inviting top KOLs from Southeast Asia to visit the VinFast factory and explore the VinGroup business ecosystem. Also in 2024, VinHomes partnered with a series of YouTubers specializing in travel, real estate, and art to promote VinHomes Ocean Park. The campaign aimed to showcase the modern and convenient aspects of Hanoi, exemplified by VinHomes Ocean Park, positioning this entertainment-integrated urban area as an ideal choice for global citizens visiting or working in Hanoi. IMVN is proud to have been a partner of VinFast and VinHomes in these two campaigns collaborating with international KOLs.
With experience in organizing tourism promotion campaigns abroad, IMVN boasts a network of KOLs not only in Southeast Asia but also in the United States and Europe. For more information about our international KOL collaboration programs, please contact us here.
