Domestic Destinations Popular With Malaysian Holidaymakers - Survey

CITY LANDMARK...A mother taking photos of her children enjoying their holidays in the pool at the Suria KLCC Recreational Park, with the Petronas Twin Towers in the background. Pic: Amirul Azmi fotoBERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are increasingly looking closer to home for travel bargains, according to search data released by the leading online accommodation booking website, Hotels.com.

A survey of searches conducted by Malaysian-based travellers between January-August 2015 showed that interest in domestic destinations has literally exploded, fuelled perhaps in part by the softening of the Malaysian ringgit against other currencies.

The findings support the sentiment expressed by exhibitors and visitors to the Malaysian Association Of Tour And Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair held here from Sept 4 to Sept 6, it said in a statement here today.

TOURIST ATTRACTION...Seafood galore at Restoran Muara Duyung in Melaka Pic: Sakini Mohd Said fotoBERNAMA

While Kuala Lumpur reigns in the No.1 spot, more than eight times as many people than last year are searching for travel and accommodation information on Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands. That put the town in sixth place, ahead of Kota Kinabalu and Johor Baharu, which are sitting in seventh and eighth place respectively.

"Other hot in-country destinations include Brinchang and Port Dickson, which are also seeing almost eight-fold spikes in interest, and Melaka, which is searched for five times more frequently than last year, said Senior Marketing Director, Asia Pacific for the Hotels.com brand, Nelson Allen.

Malaysians in increasing numbers are clearly getting back to their roots when it comes to planning vacation, and taking full advantage of the fantastic deals to be found at home," he added.

THE WONDERS OF TURKEY...A group of Malaysian women enjoying their holidays in Turkey in September 2014. The trip was organised by the Association for Women and Wives of Bernama Employees (Benita). Pic: Benita

Thailand has overtaken Singapore as the top regional destination for Malaysian holidaymakers. Bangkok and Singapore have swapped places compared to last year, with the Thai capital now sitting pretty at the top of the regional holiday destination table and Singapore sinking to third place.

"The seaside paradises of Krabi and Phuket are also on the radar of Malaysian travellers. Searches for Phuket are up two-and-half times, putting the islet in fifth place on the regional top 10 list, which it missed last year. Krabi climbed to fourth place overall," said Allen.

Europe has always been a long-haul favourite among Malaysians, with the top five most popular destinations unchanged from last year.

"London and Paris are still firmly in the first and second spot, and Istanbul, Amsterdam and Rome are right next to them in third, fourth and fifth place.

That solid, unshakeable popularity reflects the fantastic mix of leisure and cultural activities these cities offer visitors from Malaysia and all over the world. That's something that the whims of fashion and currency shifts cannot erase," said Allen.
-bernama.