KUALA LUMPUR: Based on a recent poll by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Malaysians’ decisions to take a vacation in Thailand are heavily influenced by destination attractions.
The “Malaysian Outbound and Domestic Travel Behaviour” survey was conducted in the first quarter of 2024 to investigate Malaysians’ domestic and international travel habits.
In a written parliamentary reply on Thursday (Nov 28), the ministry stated, “The findings revealed that 41.9% of Malaysians were drawn to the allure of destinations in neighbouring countries.”
According to the survey, 25.5% of participants responded that their budget was a major factor in their decision to travel, making financial factors the second most important reason.
Not far behind, impacting 24.9% of the respondents, was the possibility of trying out new things.
According to the report, discounts and word-of-mouth recommendations also influenced travel plans, with 5.7% and 4.2% of respondents citing these factors, respectively.
Datuk Rosol Wahid (PN-Hulu Terengganu) questioned the ministry about why many Malaysians would rather vacation in neighboring Thailand’s Hatyai, Krabi, and Phuket than visit Malaysian tourist destinations.
According to preliminary data, 49.33% of the more than 3.7 million Malaysian visitors to Thailand between January 1 and September 30, 2024, entered through the Sadao Immigration Checkpoint in Songkhla Province.
In the meantime, 1.1 million tourists travelled to Malaysia from Thailand as of August 2024, a 19.7% increase over the same time the year before.
According to media reports, over 100,000 Malaysian tourists spent at least RM1,000 each in Thailand’s five southern provinces during the Malaysia Day long weekend, bringing in over RM100 million.
The figure is for a visitor or family spending at least RM1,000 during the four-day vacation weekend that coincides with the celebration of Malaysia Day – The Star
