๐Ÿ“ฐ Sign up for a weekly email summary of travel news around Southeast Asia »
#coronovirus #impact-summary
Malaysia

Malaysia

MAG sign SAF agreement with Petronas; to introduce SAF gradually from 2027 on MAS, Firefly, MASwings flights.
Lockdown Status
Open
Inbound Travel
Open
Outbound Travel
Open
Confirmed
5,100,249
150,280 per million
7 Day Rolling Ave
+1,749 โ–ฒ
+749% vs prev week
Deaths
37,087
1,092.8 per million
Fully Vaccinated
27,550,301
81.18% of pop.
Source: Cases - John Hopkins University (2023-06-01). Vaccine - Government of Malaysia (2023-06-01). 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 Berhadโ€™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)

GDP Growth Rate

% per year
4.4

2019

-5.6
2020
3.1

2021
6.0

2022
forecast
5.4

2023
forecast

Inflation Rate

% per year
0.7

2019

-1.1
2020
2.5

2021
3.0

2022
forecast
2.5

2023
forecast
Source: Asian Development Bank. Asian Development Outlook (April 2022).

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 whatโ€™s important to the communities theyโ€™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
Containment Policies Timeline
How to read this graph
International Travel Restrictions
  • 0 - no restrictions
  • 1 - screening arrivals
  • 2 - quarantine arrivals from some or all regions
  • 3 - ban arrivals from some regions
  • 4 - ban on all regions or total border closure
Internal Movement Restrictions
  • 0 - no restrictions
  • 1 - recommend not to travel between regions/cities
  • 2 - internal movement restrictions in place
Stay At Home Requirements
  • 0 - no measures
  • 1 - recommend not leaving house
  • 2 - require not leaving house with exceptions for daily exercise, grocery shopping, and 'essential' trips
  • 3 - require not leaving house with minimal exceptions (eg allowed to leave once a week, or only one person can leave at a time, etc)
School Closures
  • 0 - no measures
  • 1 - recommend closing
  • 2 - require closing (only some levels or categories, eg just high school, or just public schools)
  • 3 - require closing all levels

๐Ÿ“‹ About This Page

Travel impact dashboard is an easy-to-read resource to stay informed on the impact of COVID-19 on the travel industry. Get the latest travel news and analysis on Southeast Asia tourism.

For travel professionals who need regular updates on their source markets. Know when to start marketing for inbound and outbound tourism.


โœ‰๏ธ Stay Updated With Weekly Updates

Sign up to receive weekly updated news for each country directly to your inbox. Keep informed and make the right decisions.

The Impact of COVID-19 On The Southeast Asian Tourism Industry
Click here to receive weekly updates »
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.