Malaysia

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