The most visited places in Malaysia in pandemic year 2020: Zoo Negara, Sibu Central Market, Melaka River Cruise

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Zoo Negara, Pantai Morib and Sunway Lagoon were the top destinations in Selangor most visited by domestic tourists last year, based on data released today by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM).

Other popular attractions in Selangor were Pantai Bagan Lalang and IOI City Mall, according to “Performance of Domestic Tourism by State, 2020” report published today.

For Kuala Lumpur, the top destinations were the malls: Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Pasar Seni, Sogo, Berjaya Times Square and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).

The Sarawak equivalents were Sibu Central Market, Vivacity Megamall, Wisma Sanyan, Buntal Esplanade and Tanjung Batu beach.

The majority of domestic tourists that visited these states — which are the states that generated the most income from domestic tourism last year — did so mainly to visit friends and relatives.

In Selangor, this made up 67.1 per cent of domestic tourists, followed by 37.9 per cent in Kuala Lumpur, and 59.4 per cent in Sarawak.

The following main reasons for travel were holidaying and recreation (18.8 per cent in Selangor, 36.1 in KL, and 27.4 per cent in Sarawak), as well as shopping (7.6 per cent in Selangor, 16.9 per cent in KL, and 6.5 per cent in Sarawak).

In Johor — another notable high earner — the most visited locations were all coastal sites: Desaru, Tanjung Batau beach, Telok Gorek, Minyak Beku beach and Sedili Besar.

Domestic tourists who went to Johor mainly did so to visit friends and family (75.4 per cent), and for holidaying and recreation (18 per cent). This was followed by 3.5 per cent who travelled for “incentivised trips or others”.

The Melaka River Cruise, was the top main destination for the state of its namesake, followed by Pengkalan Balak beach, the state’s customs and traditions museum as well as its butterfly and reptile park, along with the A’ Famosa building.

A total of 50.5 per cent of domestic tourists in Melaka mainly came to visit friends and family, while a whopping 47 per cent travelled there for holidaying and recreation.

This was followed by 1.1 per cent who arrived for official business or education.