KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — Malaysians are cost-savvy but great planners when it comes to travel.
They are also very family-oriented and enjoy taking a couple of road trips in a year, according to Brand Expedia’s 20118 Year in Review Trends Report.
Expedia.com.my analysed thousands of data points to identify the top travel trends for 2018, and the results show that Malaysian travellers love domestic travel and are partial to exploring the peninsula and beautiful islands.
“Expedia crunched flight data from 2018 to determine the top travel spots, and it was clear that Malaysian travellers are choosing to explore local destinations, which may not be surprising as Malaysia has a lot to offer — from adventure seekers to laid- back sandy beaches — there is something for everybody,” Regional Head of Communications, Brand Expedia, Lavinia Rajaram said in a statement today.
Highlights from the report include the rise for secondary local destinations like Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Johor Bahru, and a preference for non-traditional lodging options such as aparthotels and hostels.
Destinations that garnered more than 50 per cent growth year-on-year from 2017 were Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Baru, Hong Kong and Subang.
Other international destinations that Malaysians hopped on the plane for included Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket, Jakarta, Tokyo, Bali and London.
“We looked at accommodation types that saw increased demand this year, and the results show travellers prefer the comfort of staying in a hotel or traditional resort instead of roughing it out at other alternative lodging options.
“Hotels continue to be the top choice of accommodation for Malaysians with a growth of over 90 per cent. This could be due to the fact that most travellers from Malaysia tend to travel with their family or with young children and could do without the extra hassle,’ Rajaram said.
However, despite the numerous long weekends and public holidays, Malaysians only stayed an average of 1.8 days at hotels.
The top five hotel properties in Malaysia, according to the report, are: Resorts World Genting, First World Hotel, Genting Highlands; Copthorne Hotel, Cameron Highlands, Brinchang; The Everly Putrajaya, Putrajaya; Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur; and Hotel Perdana, Kota Baru, Kelantan.
The most popular booking month is December and the least popular booking month is May. — Bernama
