KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Malaysians seem to be excited about the relaxed travel restrictions under the National Recovery Plan.
That was evident in Airbnb’s latest data that saw a surge in search engine activities on Airbnb for Langkawi.
In a statement, the vacation rental company said searches on Airbnb for Langkawi surged by over 13 times for the week of September 13 when compared to the week of August 16 following the announcement of the travel bubble by the government.
In the same period, it said searchers for Airbnb stays in Port Dickson increased over 360 per cent month-over-month, while searches for stays in Melaka grew by 270 per cent.
The data also revealed the top five most-searched destinations with Subang Jaya taking the top spot.
Other top searched destinations were Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Johor Baru and Penang respectively.
Airbnb has also launched its new #RaikanMalaysia campaign that aims to energise Malaysia’s tourism recovery in the second half of 2021 and beyond.
The initiative is in line with the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to revitalise the industry and boost domestic tourism.
As part of the campaign, the global company is encouraging Malaysians to rediscover home with their loved ones, while celebrating unique stays and hidden gems across the country.
Airbnb general manager (Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan) Amanpreet Bajaj said with Malaysia well on the road to recovery, they were already seeing that Malaysians are eagerly anticipating the return of domestic travel.
“Our data shows strong and positive travel sentiment amidst the easing restrictions, and we look forward to rolling out more exciting initiatives encouraging the rakyat to #RaikanMalaysia.
“Airbnb is committed to supporting the 12MP strategies to rejuvenate the tourism industry and help to drive safe and meaningful travel as we collectively pave the way for Malaysia’s tourism rebound in a way that benefits local communities.”
