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Malaysia

Malaysia

China announces 15-day visa-free entry for Malaysians; Malaysia announces 30-day visa-free entry for Chinese, Indians.
Lockdown Status
Open
Inbound Travel
Open
Outbound Travel
Open
Confirmed
5,140,563
151,468 per million
7 Day Rolling Ave
+0
-100% vs prev week
Deaths
37,201
1,096.1 per million
Fully Vaccinated
27,550,507
81.18% of pop.
Source: Cases - John Hopkins University (2023-12-07). Vaccine - Government of Malaysia (2023-12-07). Retrieved from OurWorldInData.org

Latest Travel Industry News

Policy Summary

Lockdown Status

In Transition to Endemic phase. All economic sectors open.

Travel Restrictions

All travellers permitted entry, regardless of vaccination status.

Economy Summary

Fiscal support for the tourism industry

Tour Operators Licence Fee Exemption (31 Dec 2021):

  • Licence fee exemption for tourism operators and tour guides to be extended for renewal from 1 Jan-30 Jun 2022

Tourism Ministry Budget (3 Nov 2021):

  • A total of RM15.95 million has been allocated to 14,822 tourism businesses

  • RM500 for tour guides

  • RM3,000 for tour and travel agencies

  • RM1,000 for spas

  • RM600 for homestays

Tourism Ministry Budget (3 Nov 2021):

  • RM61 million allocated to tourism businesses in Terengganu

Johor Tourism Vouchers (2 Nov 2021):

  • RM1.5 million worth of vouchers will be distributed from 5 Nov

  • RM100 vouchers will be promoted through the Johor Tourism Interchange app

  • 212 tourism packages can be chosen, themed around Nature Escapade, Family fun and Heritage and Culture

Budget 2022 (29 Oct 2021):

  • A total of RM1.3 billion will be allocated for 7 initiatives

  • Targeted wage subsidy for businesses who suffered at least 30% decline in revenue

  • RM600 million in business credit through the Penjana Tourism Financing and the Malaysia Development Bank Berhad’s (BPMB) Rehabilitation Scheme

  • RM85 million assistance for 20,000 tour operators

  • RM50 million allocated for tourism infrastructure

  • RM30 million in matching grants for 738 budget hotels for repairs

  • RM60 million incentive fund for those promoting domestic tourism industry

  • Extension of the income tax relief for domestic tourism spend of up to RM1,000

  • RM20 million allocation to the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) to promote medical tourism

RM200 million allocated for the Tourism Rehabilitation Plan in Budget 2021 (6 Nov 2020)

Wage subsidies (24 Sep 2020)

Tourism tax breaks, personal income tax relief for tourism expenses, moratorium on tax instalment payments for tourism companies under the PENJANA budget (5 Jun 2020)

Wage subsidies and tax deductions for SMEs (7 Apr 2020)

Monthly subsidy for businesses under the Prihatin budget (27 Mar 2020)

Consumer Trends Summary

Finder's Travel Index (Dec 2021):

  • 35.4% of Malaysians say that they plan to travel in the coming three months, down from 37.8% in Nov

  • 26% are planning on domestic travel, while 14% are planning on international travel.

Airbnb Survey (Dec 2021):

  • 93% of Malaysian travellers believe that sustainable tourism is important

  • 84% say that the way they think about sustainable tourism has changed

  • 73% believe that it is important to create a positive impact for locals

  • 60% believe that it is critical not to contribute to issues such as over-tourism

  • 70% believe that they are becoming more conscious when it comes to familiarising themselves with what’s important to the communities they’re visiting, and how they can make a contribution

  • 68% are conscious that communities are in need of economic recovery, and will factor this into where they travel and how they spend their money

  • Two thirds are planning to engage more in domestic tourism than in the past, aiming to allocate more of their travel budget for Malaysia

  • Over 50% plan to take workcations or work remotely if they can

Visa's Voice of the Consumer Survey (Nov 2021):

  • 65% of Malaysian respondents are planning on domestic leisure trips, while 40% are planning on overseas trips

  • The top 3 factors providing comfort to travellers are being vaccinated (66%), the stability of the COVID-19 situation at the destination (66%), and the decrease of global cases (56%)

  • 54% are interested in travel bubbles, but not in the immediate future. 16% are eager to travel as soon as a travel bubble is available

  • 3 in 10 Malaysians are not interested in travel bubbles

Agoda Sustainable Travel Trends Survey 2021 (Aug 2021):

  • More Malaysians are most concerned about overtourism, followed by polluted beaches and waterways, then deforestation

  • Malaysians believe Governments are most responsible when it came to making changes to make travel more sustainable (27%), followed by tourism authorities at 25%, and themselves at 16%

  • Malaysians pledge to always look for eco-friendly accommodations, manage their waste during their travel period and switch off air conditioners and lights when leaving their room when they travel post COVID-19

  • Practices that are considered most helpful to travel sustainably by Malaysians are accommodations using #1 renewable energy, #2 key cards to power electricity in hotels, and destinations that are not high-density tourist spots

  • When asked what practices Malaysians associate with sustainability, 40% considered use of renewable energy/resources, followed energy saving practices such as motion senor lights, key cards for electricity (36%), and in joint third spot eco-friendly building design/furnishings and animal conservation, both at 29%

  • The additional measures to help make travel more sustainable according to Malaysians are easy identification of eco-friendly travel options, limiting single use plastics, and providing financial incentives to accommodation providers who maximize energy efficiency

Consumer Sentiment Chart

📋 About This Page

The tourism recovery dashboard is an easy-to-read resource to stay informed on the recovery of the Southeast Asian tourism industry. Get the latest travel news and analysis for the region.

The dashboard and weekly report are aimed at travel professionals who need regular updates on their source markets.


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The content is a general description of informative nature only and is accurate at time of publication. Pear Anderson assumes no responsibility for completeness, errors or omissions in the information and makes no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information. This collection of content is created by Pear Anderson and various sources credited on the page.