Many Malaysians list Kuala Lumpur as the #1 destination they would like to visit. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star
Most Malaysians still prefer to spend their holidays within the country, according to new data from vacation rental company Airbnb.
The company’s internal data on bookings and check-ins shows that stays booked in Malaysia on the Airbnb platform doubled in 2022 from 2020. Malaysia also ranked #1 in the list of preferred travel destinations among locals last year.
Domestically, Kuala Lumpur is the #1 destination locals want to visit, followed by Penang, Kota Baru (Kelantan), Petaling Jaya (Selangor) and Langkawi (Kedah). This is based on bookings made on the platform.
The data also revealed a growing momentum for solo travel in Malaysia, as related bookings doubled year-over-year in 2022. On a macro scale, solo travellers accounted for about one-quarter of all global nights booked last year. Due to this, Airbnb recently launched its Solo Traveller Safety feature, which is available in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Chinese to enable safe and convenient travel in the country.
Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb’s general manager for South-East Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan, said in a statement: “With 2025 set to be Visit Malaysia Year, we are delighted to see the current travel rebound across the country and the benefits that’s bringing to local communities across the country... The enthusiasm among Malaysians to explore their own backyard, coupled with the growing excitement among international visitors to experience Malaysia’s beautiful landscapes and rich cultural heritage, is extremely encouraging.
“It also means more tourism dollars flowing into Malaysian communities, which in turn support local businesses and jobs. We are committed to working closely with the government and industry stakeholders to support and accelerate the ongoing travel recovery.”
Malaysians are also expanding their travel horizons and are eager to explore destinations in and outside the region. According to the data, Asia Pacific featured strongly in Malaysians’ most booked overseas destinations, although Britain ranked #1, followed by Australia, Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia.
Malaysians’ most booked overseas cities last year were London, Bangkok, Melbourne, Paris and Jakarta.
Meanwhile, the top countries of origin of international Airbnb guests in Malaysia in 2022 were Singapore, the United States, Britain, Australia and Indonesia.
For this year, Airbnb remains optimistic of a greater travel rebound. In 2022, group travels were Malaysia’s most common booking type, and this same pattern is expected to continue, especially during next month’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations. During this time, families are known to travel more within the country, meeting up with relatives and friends.
Airbnb says that it has also seen almost 600% growth in searches in Malaysia for the Ramadan period – this is based on searches for check-ins from March 23-April 21 this year, compared to April 3-May 2 last year.
The latest Airbnb data also revealed that the top five most-searched cities for the Hari Raya festivities are Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Johor Baru, George Town (Penang), Kuching (Sarawak) and Alor Setar (Kedah). This is based on growth in searches for Malaysia from March 23-April 21 this year, as compared to April 3 to May 2 of last year.
Sustainable tourism
Elsewhere, Japan is receiving global recognition for its sustainability and conservation efforts, according to a survey commissioned by booking platform Agoda.
Japan is the top pick of respondents in Agoda’s Sustainable Impact Survey 2023, when asked to name markets that do well in terms of sustainability and conservation efforts. This is followed by Singapore and South Korea; Malaysia ranked #8 among the 12 listed countries.
The publication of the survey findings marks the start of Agoda’s Eco Deals campaign, which aims to raise US$250,000 (RM1.1mil) for World Wide Fund for Nature’s marine and forest conservation initiatives in India, as well as in South-East Asia.
Over 13,000 respondents from more than 10 countries took part in the survey. When ranking countries based on their sustainability efforts, most respondents were appreciative of their home countries’ conservation measures and placed them within the top three.
Most respondents from Malaysia, however, selected their home country as the third choice, behind Japan and Singapore.
“Sustainability is clearly on peoples’ minds, with many aware of the environmental measures being taken in their home markets as well abroad,” regional vice-president South-East Asia and Oceania at Agoda Enric Casals said in a statement.
“In addition, travellers are looking for ways to minimise their ecological footprints while making a positive impact on the places they visit. Agoda’s Eco Deals programme aims to facilitate this movement by giving travellers the opportunity to support conservation initiatives simply by booking an Eco Deal accommodation.”
This year, accommodation partners from Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and India join Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines (who were part of the 2022 Eco Deals campaign) to participate.
Travellers can participate in the Eco Deals campaign by visiting www.agoda.com/Ecodeals or by booking properties that showcase the Eco Deals badge on Agoda’s website or app. For each booking, Agoda donates US$1 (RM4.42) to the WWF’s marine and forest conservation initiatives. The campaign runs until Sept 2, 2023. However, if the target amount is raised before the date, then the campaign will also end.
