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Southeast Asia Battles Extreme Weather, Impacting Travel
Southeast Asia is grappling with a year of intense storms and typhoons, causing widespread flooding across Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand.The severe weather has damaged infrastructure, disrupted transportation, and led to temporary closures of attractions and travel routes in affected areas.
Thailand has been particularly hard hit, with nearly three million people in the southern province of Songkhla impacted and hundreds of thousands seeking shelter. Hat Yai experienced its heaviest rainfall in 15 years, leading to airport closures and flight cancellations, affecting over 10,000 foreign tourists. The Tourism Authority of Thailand has established a Crisis Tourism Monitoring Center, and six airlines are offering flexible travel arrangements including date changes, refunds, or credits. While water levels are receding, recovery is the focus, and all but one of the sports originally scheduled for the 2025 SEA Games in Songkhla will be relocated to Bangkok, with wrestling moving to Chonburi. Popular destinations on the Andaman coast – Phuket, Krabi, and Phang-Nga – remain open, but travellers are advised to check conditions before heading south.
Vietnam is recovering from catastrophic floods and landslides that claimed at least 98 lives in five central provinces. The country has faced 14 major storms this year, including Typhoon Verbena, which caused notable flooding in Hoi An, Da Nang, and Nha Trang. Hanoi also experienced two floods in speedy succession. Local hospitality businesses, like The Anam, are leading relief efforts, with over VND 500 million donated and aid packages distributed. Tourists are also contributing to the recovery. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City remain unaffected.
Malaysia is experiencing heavy rainfall due to the Northeast Monsoon, with Kelantan among the worst-affected states. Indonesia is also battling widespread flooding and landslides in Sumatra, resulting in at least 84 deaths and numerous people missing.
Experts warn that climate change is exacerbating extreme rainfall events across the region, increasing the risk of flash floods, landslides, and river surges. This underscores the urgent need for climate-resilient infrastructure and tourism planning to mitigate future impacts.
