The new insights also reveal that Malaysian travellers are increasingly favouring secondary cities and further-flung destinations for their Raya travels.
While Bangkok and Singapore used to top the list as the most popular international destinations among local travellers, cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou have surged in popularity, ranking as the first- and third-most popular cities for international travel during Raya this year.
The top 10 international cities for local travellers are:
- Shanghai
- Singapore
- Guangzhou
- Bangkok
- Chengdu
- Tokyo
- Beijing
- Hong Kong
- Seoul
- Taipei
Meanwhile, demand for travel to destinations like Kunming, Osaka, Chongqing, Suzhou, Chengdu, Busan and Guangzhou increased by between 237% and 351% year-on-year, showing Malaysians’ desire to head down paths less travelled.
The international destinations with the biggest y-o-y increases among local travellers are:
- Kunming – 351%
- Osaka – 323%
- Chongqing – 307%
- Tokyo – 279%
- Suzhou – 265%
- Chengdu – 261%
- Busan – 259%
- Seoul – 250%
- Guangzhou – 241%
- Beijing – 237%
Beyond destinations in Asia Pacific, Malaysians are also venturing further: bookings for travel to Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates and the Maldives grew by 300% or more compared to the year before.
Some took their journeys even further to New York – the furthest destination booked by a Malaysian traveller this Raya.
In addition, Malaysians are booking their travel further in advance, with the average booking window rising from 42.63 days in 2024 to 48.1 days this year.
Data also reveals that Malaysian travellers spent 14.5% more on international flights and hotels this year compared to last, again indicative of the growing appetite for international travel.
When it comes to experiences, theme-park attractions stand out as clear favourites among Malaysian travellers. Bookings for all five of the most popular attractions this year are for major theme parks in the Asia-Pacific region.
The top 5 attractions among Malaysian travellers are:
- Universal Studios Japan
- Shanghai Disney Resort
- Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park
- Hong Kong Disneyland
- Sunway Lagoon Theme Park