Malaysia

Klook’s APAC travel demand 2026 shows 95% of travellers across Asia Pacific did not cancel or postpone any trips during H1 2026. They surveyed 1,020 consumers across Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and India. The study found higher fuel prices and broader cost-of-living have influenced travel decisions, but have not significantly reduced demand. The study also found: 63% said travel costs, personal finances or the cost of living will decide their travel plans for the rest of 2026 Rather than reducing spending on activities, 25% of the travellers are cutting costs on flights and accommodations, while 19% are choosing destinations closer to their home country, Only 18% report they have reduced their travel budgets 47% of respondents are looking for discounts, promotional offers and travel bundles, with the highest recorded in the Philippines (59%), Malaysia (55%) and Indonesia (55%) 42% are booking earlier for better prices, especially in Vietnam (52%) and Indonesia (51%) 72% of respondents remain as confident or more confident about travelling in H2 2026 as they were at the beginning of 2026 23% of respondents will decide on a specific activity before selecting their travel destination 94% of respondents have used or are willing to use AI for travel planning, 57% have already used AI tools to find destinations or experiences, of which 36% proceeded to make a booking The top trusted source of information is customer reviews 58%, followed by recommendations from friends and family (49%), content creators (35%) and AI-generated suggestions (33%) 73% of travellers want to visit a secondary city to experience a local event, festival, or unique experience, with strong interest recorded in Thailand (86%), Vietnam (80%) and Malaysia (79%) 77% of travellers included a side trip of a lesser-known destination during their most recent holiday, and 34% said the detour was the most memorable part of their journey 63% of respondents said overcrowding at popular destinations increased their interest in exploring less-visited locations, with 20% actively avoiding tourism hotspots Klook data shows for Asia Pacific, the top destinations in Asia are Guangzhou, Beijing, Hanoi, HCMC, Danang, Busan, Sokcho, Jeonju. The top destinations for Europe are Italy, Switzerland and Germany, with an increase in interest in destinations such as Siena, Positano, Alpnach, Stadt Wehlen and Pogtei

The Tourism Minister announced plans to introduce a minimum pricing mechanism and standardised service requirements for umrah packages. The Ministry will meet with Tabung Haji and the Religious Affairs Ministry on this matter. This will prevent operators from offering low-price packages which could compromise service delivery and affect the pilgrimage of their clients

The Ministry of Tourism, with the support of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, organised the Wonderful Indonesia Sales Mission 2026 in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan on 28 Jun and Kuala Lumpur on 19 Jun. The event focused on introducing 10 Priority Tourism Destinations and 5 Regenerative Tourism Destinations. 25 Indonesian tourism industry players took part in the event and met with 70 Malaysian tourism industry players from Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, and Kuala Lumpur. PT Kereta Api Indonesia was a strategic collaborator for this event, allowing to promote train travel as a part of the tourism experience in Indonesia

Agoda’s accommodation searches for family vacations by Malaysians from 1 Jan-30 Apr 2026 for stays between 22 May-7 Jun 2026, for the school holiday show Vietnam recording +85% YoY growth, followed by China (+51% YoY), Singapore (+43% YoY), and Japan (+43% YoY). The top cities with the highest growth rate were Tokyo (+53% YoY), Phuket (+44% YoY), Singapore (+43% YoY), Bangkok (+33% YoY), and Osaka (+19% YoY)

The Finance Ministry clarified that the ongoing cost-cutting measures are not intended to stop all official travel or government spending, but are part of a targeted fiscal management approach to absorb rising fuel subsidy costs. The ministry also said Malaysia will continue to participate in international meetings and forums related to trade, energy, health, defence and regional cooperation

StarDream Cruises will waive its fuel surcharge for sailings from 26 June on board the Genting Dream, Star Navigator, and Star Voyager departing from Singapore and Malaysia. For sailings from Taiwan and Hong Kong, the fuel surcharge will be reduced by 50%. StarCruises and Dream Cruises introduced a S$15 fuel surcharge per passenger per night in Mar 2026 for some sailings following the Middle East conflict

The Uzbekistan Ambassador to Malaysia said they have been sending personnel to Malaysia to learn best practices in attracting tourists and improve Muslim-friendly services. He added that Uzbekistan is promoting its historical tourism, ecological tourism, and gastronomic tourism during the HUITM-Umrah Plus International Travel Market Exhibition

The Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) targets generating RM18 million in sales at Malaysia International Travel Mart (MITM Travel Fair) from 17-19 Jul at Sutera Mall, featuring 100 booths including 20 travel agencies, airlines, cruise operators, and hotels. MCTA Chairman said they are seeing a strong demand for overseas travel, with China being the most popular destination, especially Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai, Yunnan, and Xinjiang