Malaysian travellers go beyond traditional holiday hotspots

Malaysians are increasingly exploring new destinations, driven by air developments in the region.


According to a study by metasearch site Wego, Malaysian users searched 900 more destinations for flights than in 2011, bringing the total number of flight destination searches to 2,500. The behaviour of 100,000 travellers using Wego.com.my in 2012 up to February 2013 was analysed.

In terms of accommodation, users are now looking at stays in 400 new destinations out of almost 2,000 destinations in total, for the same period.

Internationally, Bangkok, Jakarta, Taipei and Singapore still reign, but may face competition from secondary destinations. Dean Wicks, chief marketing officer, Wego, said: “Users are constantly finding new routes with AirAsia, Jetstar, Malindo Air and other carriers, which soon become popular especially if they are seen to be affordable.

“It’s driving a shift away from the traditional selections of Bali and Phuket in favour of destinations like Bandung, a favourite weekend retreat with Jakarta residents; Hat Yai; Macau; and Perth.” He cited Istanbul as another destination that has caught the eye of Malaysian travellers, and believed that further developments in aviation would increase the popularity of secondary destinations further.

Within the country, Kuala Lumpur is the top search. One in every eight Malaysian users seeks flights to the capital and even more for hotels in the city. Other cities in the top 10 are (in order): Langkawi, Penang, Cameron Highlands, Port Dickson, Johor Bahru, Genting Highlands, Kota Kinabalu, Malacca and Kuching.

Accommodation-wise, 16 per cent of Malaysians booked five-star hotels; 26 per cent booked four-stars, 31 per cent booked three-stars; 17 per cent booked two-stars; and the rest was spread among one-star and uncategorised hotels.
-TTG Asia.