Singaporeans more disenchanted than their neighbors for a U.S. holiday
A growing number of Southeast Asian travelers say the United States is becoming a less attractive destination. Concerns are ranging from gun violence to discrimination outweighing cost issues for many. The trend reflects a global disaffection of travelers to the United States since the Trump administration came into power.
Nearly 80% of respondents in a CNBC Travel survey said the US is losing its appeal. One in four reported their interest had declined in the past six months, citing worries about safety, political actions under the Trump administration, and potential prejudice.
The survey, conducted by research firm Milieu Insight from May 22 to June 10, polled 6,000 travelers from Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. Younger travelers were more affected by news of tariffs and border policies than older ones, though they still expressed higher overall interest in visiting the US.
Some countries bucked the trend. Interest rose among respondents from Vietnam (57%), the Philippines (49%) and Thailand (43%) a shift experts link to large diasporas in the US and the enduring pull of American pop culture. In Thailand, the result is also part of a strong absence of interest for anything which is not linked to the “sanook” concept (“fun” or “entertainment” in Thai language).
The US desire to visit from Indonesia and Malaysia is also more mixed. While both Muslim nations point to a 23% decrease in interest towards the USA, 35% of respondents are more interested to spend a holiday in the USA.
Negative feelings are dominant for Singaporeans
In sharp contrast to their neighbors, Singaporeans were notably less enthusiastic—55% said they are less interested in visiting now than in November 2024, and only 7% reported increased interest.
Singapore vision is different from their neighbors due to their source of information. They still indeed get most of their information from local and international news. Respondents from the other five countries, including 80% of those from Thailand, highlighted that social media is their primary news source.
Singaporeans felt also more concerned than their neighbors in relation to their personal safety, possible discrimination, border detention, legal actions by the Trump administration and gun violence.
(Source of information: CNBC)
TravelMole Editorial Team
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