Hari Raya traits: Extra Malaysians travelling to secondary cities and longer-haul locations
This 12 months’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a large demand driver for worldwide and home journey. Based on Journey.com, a one-stop journey service supplier, worldwide journey bookings by Malaysians for this 12 months’s Aidilfitri season (29 March to six April 2025) grew by 111% whereas home journey bookings doubled (+103%) in comparison with the 12 months earlier than (6 to 14 April 2024). The most recent insights, drawn from Journey.com reserving information, additionally confirmed that Malaysian travellers are more and more favouring secondary cities and further-flung locations for his or her Hari Raya travels.
“Hari Raya is a significant time for a lot of Malaysians — a time to reunite with family members, mirror, and recharge. We’re seeing that this festive season can also be turning into a second for journey discovery, the place many are selecting to discover new locations whereas reconnecting with household and buddies,” mentioned Stephane Thong, Common Supervisor, Journey.com Malaysia.”
Whereas Bangkok and Singapore used to high the record as the preferred worldwide locations amongst travellers from Malaysia, cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou have surged in recognition – rating as the primary and third hottest cities for worldwide journey throughout Hari Raya season this 12 months (Desk 1). As well as, demand for journey to locations like Kunming, Osaka, Chongqing, Suzhou, Chengdu, Busan and Guangzhou elevated by between 237% to 351% year-on-year (Desk 2), exhibiting Malaysians’ need to move down paths much less travelled for brand spanking new discoveries.
Past visiting locations in Asia Pacific, Malaysians are additionally venturing additional – bookings for journey to Spain, Italy, Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and the Maldives grew by 300% or extra in comparison with the 12 months earlier than. Some took their journeys even additional to New York in the US of America – the furthest vacation spot booked by a Malaysian traveller this Eid Al Fitr. This alerts a shift in preferences, with Malaysians venturing to further-flung locations wealthy in tradition, nature and novelty.
This 12 months, Malaysian travellers are reserving their journey additional prematurely, with the common reserving window rising from 42.63 days final 12 months to 48.10 days this 12 months. Journey.com’s information revealed that Malaysian travellers spent 14.5% extra on worldwide flights and motels in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months, signalling a rising urge for food for worldwide journey.
When it got here to experiences, theme park points of interest stood out as clear favourites amongst Malaysian travellers. All 5 of the preferred points of interest reserving for this 12 months’s Hari Raya travels are for main theme parks within the Asia Pacific area (Desk 3). These points of interest proceed to resonate with Malaysians for his or her mix of family-friendly leisure and iconic city views.
