A total of 21% of Malaysians who responded to the Agoda travel trends survey singled out reuniting with family and friends as the main reason to start travelling again.
Adventure seekers are also raring to make that long awaited trip now that the Covid-19 restrictions have been lifted. A total of 20% of respondents have cited their appetite for adventure as a reason to travel.
An almost equal number of Malaysians are also keen on a more leisurely-pace vacation. A total of 19% of them listed an indulgent break to refresh their senses, while 18% picked food as well as art and culture as reasons.
Agoda said the survey, conducted in collaboration with YouGov, polled more than 10,000 travellers from Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, the Philippines, Japan, Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea and the US.
Among those polled, 33% have picked Taiwan as the top destination for reunions with family and friends. At 31%, Australia comes in a close second, with the US, at 25%, their third favourite destination.
Unlike Malaysians, travellers from other countries have listed several other reasons to pack their bags and take the next flight out.
The South Koreans, Singaporeans and Thais are most keen to recharge mentally and physically. Perhaps the strain of having to work from home or being restricted at home has taken its toll.
The Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese turned out to be the biggest lovers of food as well as the arts and culture scene. In fact, a whopping 44% of Japanese have cited food as well as the arts as reasons to travel, compared with only 11% of Filipinos, who were mainly the adventurous type.
Perhaps the thirst for adventure runs deep among those who live in archipelagos. Apart from the Filipinos, adventure is also the number one reason to travel for Indonesians.
China is not covered in this survey, but with the country reopening its international borders this week, the rest of the world is already bracing for a flood of Chinese tourists.
Given the enthusiasm seen in the retail sector, the bet is that the Chinese will be out to shop.