Malaysians prefer to travel locally and to Singapore

According to recent analysis by one hotel price comparison platform, HotelsCombined, international hotel searches between 1^st Jan and 1^st June 2017 increased by 1% compared to the same period in 2016, however, international bookings have decreased by 3%.

The data also reveals that in the first half of 2017, domestic bookings dominate over international bookings – 61% and 39% respectively. 

Top local travel in Malaysia

Top domestic destinations for Malaysian travelers so far in 2017 include Kuala Lumpur, Malacca, Kota Kinabalu, George Town and Johor Bahru with travelers paying an average of USD$58 (MYR246) per night for domestic hotels, some USD$47 (MYR200) less per night than the price of international hotels.

Booking lead time

In 2017, the booking lead time for domestic bookings has grown to 17.9 days before check-in, compared to 16.6 days ahead in 2016. Booking lead time for international travel has also grown to 62.4 days in 2017 compared to 59.5 days in 2016.

Top five countries for travel

The top five countries so far in 2017 (in terms of bookings) for Malaysian travelers are Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore.

Learn more about hotel bookings on HotelsCombined.