Malaysia’s Domestic Tourism Impresses With 23.8% Jump To 68.4 Million In Q2
Malaysia’s domestic tourism sector continues its impressive resurgence, with 68.4 million visitors recorded in the second quarter of 2024, representing a significant 23.8 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, domestic visitor numbers rose by 16.8 per cent from the first quarter of 2024.
Correspondingly, domestic tourism expenditure reached RM28.1 billion in the second quarter 2024, reflecting a robust year-on-year growth of 28.6 per cent and a 16.9 per cent rise from the previous quarter. This is reported by the Department of Statistics Malaysia where Dato’ Sri Dr. Mohd Uzir Mahidin, Chief Statistician Malaysia said, “The performance of Malaysia’s domestic tourism in 2023 has been exceptionally strong, with domestic visitor arrivals reaching 213.7 million, a 24.6 per cent increase from 171.6 million in the previous year. Additionally, domestic tourism receipts rose by32.5 per cent to RM84.9 billion, reflecting the positive impact of the full reopening of economic activities. However, when compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, total domestic arrivals were still 10.6 per cent lower, and receipts declined by 17.7 per cent.”
Reflecting this national recovery, all Malaysian states reported notable increases in both tourism volume and receipts. Selangor led with the highest domestic tourism receipts at RM11.1 billion in 2023, up 27.1 percent from RM8.73 billion in 2022. The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur followed closely, recording RM11.0 billion in receipts, an increase from RM7.73 billion the previous year. Similarly, Sarawak and Pahang demonstrated strong growth, with receipts climbing to RM6.94 billion (2022: RM5.43 billion) and RM6.73 billion (2022: RM5.32 billion), respectively.
Shopping remained the primary driver of tourism receipts, contributing RM30.84 billion overall, with the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur leading at RM4.85 billion, followed by Selangor at RM4.14 billion, and Sarawak at RM2.66 billion. Other significant contributors included expenditures on food and beverages, accommodation, and automotive fuel.The main purpose of domestic overnight trips was visiting relatives and friends, with the exception of the Federal Territory of Labuan, where holiday and leisure travel prevailed.
The national average length of stay (ALOS) was 2.45 nights, a slight decrease from 2.55 nights in 2022. Several states exceeded this national average, including Sarawak (3.48 nights), Kelantan (3.07 nights), the Federal Territory of Labuan (2.89 nights), the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (2.70 nights), Sabah (2.67 nights), and Terengganu (2.59 nights).
The social and demographic profile of domestic tourists revealed that nine states, namely Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Pulau Pinang, Selangor, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, the Federal Territory of Labuan, and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, primarily hosted visitors from households earning between RM5,001 and RM10,000 per month. Meanwhile, seven states, namely Kedah,Kelantan, Perak, Perlis, Terengganu, Sabah, and Sarawak saw the highest percentage
of visitors from households earning between RM1,001 and RM3,000 per month.
