Malaysia is the most beloved destination in Asia, according to a ranking by the American financial website Insider Monkey. The country outperformed other Southeast Asian nations such as Singapore (3rd) and Thailand (11th).
Insider Monkey recognized Malaysia as an exemplary model of unity and hospitality, with an appeal that extends beyond its modern urban landscapes and stunning natural beauty.
The ranking was based on a variety of measures, including respect, friendliness, diversity, democracy and the number of foreign tourists.
The study ranked Malaysia as the winner with an overall score of 0.701, followed by Taiwan as the runner-up with a score of 0.595. Malaysia ranked high in respect (8th), number of foreign tourists (5th), and friendliness (2nd), and scored 14 and 6 for diversity and democracy, respectively.
Malaysia is also the 5th most visited country in Asia, with over 10 million tourists expected in 2022.
In the top five, Taiwan ranks second, followed by Singapore, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
Southeast Asian countries that made the list include Malaysia (1st), Singapore (3rd), the Philippines (7th), Thailand (11th), Indonesia (12th), and Vietnam (13th).
Insider Monkey used five previous articles to determine the ranking of these 20 countries, which included criteria such as respect, friendliness, number of tourist visits, diversity, and democracy in Asia.
