Going home for the holidays
Domestic tourism data in Malaysia shows that visiting family and friends has become the primary driver of travel, accounting for 44% of trips. This trend is creating new opportunities for budget hotels to cater to families during festive seasons and gatherings.
Why it matters
The shift in travel behavior highlights the need for the hospitality industry to adapt its infrastructure and services to better support family-centric tourism.
PETALING JAYA: Malaysians delight in visiting family and friends, so much so that these visits made up 44% of domestic travel.
They enjoy seeing their loved ones even more than shopping (21.6%) and holidaying (13%), as shown in the latest numbers from the Statistics Department on domestic tourism in the second quarter of this year.
The 44% recorded is even higher than last year’s trend in domestic tourism where “visiting relatives and friends remained the primary purpose of domestic travel, accounting for 35.6%.”
The dominance of family-related travel has presented opportunities for accommodation providers, particularly when visitors prefer to stay near their relatives rather than in their homes.
Budget hotels could cater to these travellers through competitive rates, family rooms and convenient locations near residential areas and town centres, said Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association national president Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel.
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