YOUNG tourists from China are making a beeline for Subang Jaya’s coolest neighbourhoods, drawn mainly to food outlets at night that serve up hip aesthetics, good coffee and on-the-go food.
Selangor local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said most of the travellers chose to stay in Subang Jaya to appreciate cafe hopping while visiting other attractions in Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam during the day.
Ng: Selangor hosted 6.54 million tourists last year.“Hipster cafes with on-the-go food in SS15, SS18 and Taipan Business Centre known as USJ10 are seeing a strong presence of domestic and international tourists,” he said.
Ng said Subang Jaya recorded the highest number of tourists last year among 12 local councils in Selangor with 2,145,654 visitors.
He attributed this success to the Nak Bercuti? #Pusing Selangor Dulu!’ (Want to go for a holiday? Explore Selangor first!) for locals and Splendid Selangor; Take Me Anywhere! campaign aimed at international tourists.
In 2023, Subang Jaya received 1,344,557 domestic tourists along with 801,097 foreigners, with the majority of them comprising visitors from China.
“Most of these China nationals are single and in their mid-30s, as well as young couples with children,” he added.
Selangor’s performance
Ng said Selangor hosted 6.54 million tourists last year, a 46.4% increase from the previous year’s number of 4.46 million.
“Of the total number, 4,449,951 were domestic tourists, while 2,086,263 were international visitors,” he said.
According to the World Tourism Organisation’s criteria, tourists are defined as individuals whose trips include an overnight stay, he added.
Ng said Selangor had surpassed the goal of attracting five million tourists last year, underscoring the state’s appeal as a premier tourist destination.
SS15 Subang Jaya in Selangor is a place that draws many visitors, both local and foreign.
Selangor has set a target of seven million tourists by the end of this year.
Ng said 46% of international tourist arrivals to Selangor were from China, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan and India.
According to a previous report, there has been a surge in the number of Chinese travellers coming to Malaysia following the increase of red-eye flights here from their home country.
There has been a 28% increase of such flights arriving at KL International Airport during the first half of the year compared with the same period last year, with flights from China accounting for 74% of them.
A red-eye flight refers to a flight that departs at 9pm and arrives the next morning before 5am.
Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Azrul Shah Mohamad said the increase in night-time flights was expected to help Selangor hit its target of Chinese visitors.
“China tourists last year saw 352,001 arrivals compared with the previous year of 203,615, a 73% increase.
“We have been seeing a gradual rise in Chinese visitors due to the Malaysian government granting visa-free entry to visitors from China for stays of up to 30 days since Dec 1 last year,” he said, adding that China was Selangor’s largest market.
It has been announced that Malaysia will grant visitors from China visa exemption until 2026.
Azrul said the dedicated cruise terminal in Port Klang was experiencing more shore excursions.
“In 2022, we saw 137,088 passengers and there were 255,190 last year,” he said.
Azrul added that strategies were being worked out to encourage more tourists to Selangor.
He said based on 2023 statistics, expenditure for international tourists was six times higher than domestic tourists.
“Domestic tourist expenditure per capita is RM541 while for international tourists it is RM3,406.19,” he said.
Instagrammable sights
Azrul said cafe-hopping was essentially visiting more than one cafe in a day and taking lots of photos.
“Other than enjoying a cup of coffee, tourists enjoy food like burgers with a local twist, nachos with minced beef, sweet potato fries, pizzas and ice cream.”
He said Chinese tourists were in search of hip and Insta-worthy cafes.
The younger generation in China has a tendency to share videos of their short trips, he added.
They post the videos on Instagram, TikTok and its Chinese version Douyin that further promote tourist spots to other millennials and Gen Z travellers, he said.
“Food Instagrammers have been instrumental in driving traffic to local outlets as tourists spend time looking for hipster cafe recommendations on social media.
“If what Chinese tourists see online captures their interest, it will inspire them to stay three to five days in Subang Jaya,” he added.
Azrul said contemporary cafes in Subang Jaya were among tourist hotspots.
Akmyr says SS15 sees a lot of tourists from China and Indonesia.“Each outlet is a little different. They draw tourists who want to take good photos to create engaging content,” he said.
Azrul said it was not uncommon to see at least two or three Chinese tourists snapping away in the most Insta-worthy corner of these cafes.
“We are also seeing more Chinese female tourists who view travel as an experience that brings them joy.
“Most are aged between 25 and 35 years and travel solo or in small groups of friends,” he said.
Akmyr S. Azwar, who oversees an outlet that serves butter-based delicacies in SS15, said the place was frequented by many tourists from China and Indonesia.
“Most of these tourists are here for 30 minutes to an hour, and take pictures of food, drinks and the decor.
“It is cool with us. If it goes on Instagram or TikTok, we see it as an added advantage,” he said.
Subang Jaya resident Farazuha Aripin said tourists who post their food and cafe experiences in Subang Jaya through carefully planned photographs did help to influence others.
Farazuha says tourists who post their food and cafe experiences help to draw more visitors.This motivated other tourists to plan their travel to Subang Jaya.
“It gives more people a chance to appreciate the aesthetics, ambience and food,” she added.
Other attractions
With Bandar Sunway bordering Subang Jaya, many opt to go to Sunway Lagoon theme park and Sunway Pyramid for shopping, said Azrul.
“For medical tourism, Subang Jaya Medical Centre and Sunway Medical Centre in Bandar Sunway are popular,” he said.
Those looking for tertiary education options also go to INTI International College Subang and Taylor’s University Lakeside Campus, he added.
Azrul said tourists also signed up for half-day tours to the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque known as the Blue Mosque in Shah Alam along with i-City with its millions of multi-coloured LED lights at night.
“The medical treatment available in hospitals or healthcare centres in Selangor is comparable to those of developed countries,” he said, adding that the costs are much lower.
Malaysia’s National Month and the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta in November were also expected to attract tourists.
