Tourist take pictures at Mai Khao Beach, as a plane approaches the Phuket International Airport in Phuket, Thailand March 17, 2016. With its palm-fringed beaches, Buddhist culture and racy nightlife, Thailand has been the poster child for Asian tourism for decades, attracting a range of visitors from backpackers and adventure-seekers, to families and culture vultures. But dark clouds could be forming even as a record of 32 million tourists are expected this year. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

A mahout removes the prosthetic from Motala, age 50, at the Friends of the Asian Elephant (FAE) elephant hospital in the Mae Yao National Reserve August 29, 2011 Lampang,Thailand. Motala lost a foot many years back after stepping on a land mine and now is on her third prosthetic, as they need to be changed according to the weight of the elephant. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

A Nepalese girl in traditional attire takes part in Kumari Puja, a mass worship ceremony for preteen girls, in Kathmandu, Nepal on September 27, 2023. In Nepal, Kumari Puja is the tradition of selecting a Kumari, usually a preadolescent girl, to worship symbolically as a goddess. More than hundred girls under the age of nine from across the country gathered for the mass worship. Performing Kumari Puja for three continuous years is believed to protect the girls from diseases throughout their entire life. (Photo by Narendra Shrestha/EPA/EFE)

An Asian elephant swims in a pool with transparent sides at Fuji Safari Park in Susono city of Shizuoka Prefecture on August 8, 2024. Paddling with chunky legs and using their trunks as a snorkel, the elephants at Fuji Safari Park in Japan are taking a dip in their summer swimming pool – with each graceful movement visible thanks to a special see-through tank. (Photo by Yuichi Yamazaki/AFP Photo)

A stewardess holding a lightsabre poses for photos with visitors during a tour of the Star Wars themed All Nippon Airways ANA R2D2 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft at Singapore's Changi Airport November 12, 2015. The aircraft was opened to the media on Thursday as it makes its first Asian stop outside Japan. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

South Asian countries in terms of total contribution of travel and tourism to GDP. #6. Vietnam, Total GDP: USD 202.6 billion (2016). Contribution of Travel and Tourism to GDP: 9.1% . Here: A boat in the Thu Bon River, Hoi An, Vietnam. (Photo by Domingo Leiva/Getty Images)