Discovering the Potentials of Domestic Tourism in Southeast Asia from the Perspectives of Regional Demography

In response to declining international arrivals, Southeast Asia focused its attention on developing and promoting domestic tourism. In recent years, changing travel patterns have emerged in the region as its people start to enjoy economic affluence and hence, domestic tourism has developed dramatically. In view of this emerging trend in the region, this paper examines the region's demography to discover the potential demand for domestic tourism and to identify the implications of the region's changing population with respect to domestic tourism planning, marketing and product development. Secondary data analysis is performed on population and tourism statistics. The decline of fertility and the consequent ageing of populations are the most significant demographic developments in the region and have profound implications on the social and economic life of each nation, as well as in domestic tourism marketing, planning and development. To determine the full potential for domestic tourism and to effectively plan, market and develop sustainable domestic tourism products, there is a need for the national tourism organizations to have a continuing research strategy with respect to demand for domestic tourism focusing on socio-demographic analysis, attitudes towards domestic tourism, and acceptability and affordability of domestic tourism products.