The Bako National Park in Kuching, Sarawak is a wonderful place to explore during the school holidays. — Tourism Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Domestic tourism expenditure in the first quarter of 2024 (1Q 2024) soared 25.3 per cent year-on-year to RM24.1 billion, said the Statistics Department.
The department said the number of domestic visitors in Malaysia experienced a significant surge to record 58.6 million visitors in the period, up 19.0 per cent as compared to the same quarter last year.
"For a quarter-on-quarter comparison, domestic visitors increased 6.5 per cent as compared to the fourth quarter of 2023," it said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, chief statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the domestic tourism performance in Malaysia saw a sharp upturn in 2023 with a total spending of RM84.9 billion compared to RM64.1 billion in 2022.
"The significant hike in expenditure was attributed to the astounding increase of 34.4 per cent in the number of tourists and 29.7 per cent in excursionists, where tourists spending contribution accounted for the majority at 61.5 per cent (2022: 60.7 per cent)," he said.
Domestic visitors surged 24.6 per cent to 213.7 million compared to 171.6 million recorded in 2022.
"Domestic visitors spend the most on shopping with a share of 36.3 per cent (2022: 38.9 per cent), followed by food and beverages at 16.3 per cent (2022: 15.2 per cent), and purchase of automotive fuel at 13.2 per cent (2022: 13.8 per cent),” he noted.
Visiting relatives and friends remained the primary purpose of domestic tourism, accounting for 33.6 per cent (2022: 33.7 per cent), but it has yet to surpass the pre-pandemic percentage of 42.3 per cent. Shopping remained the second most significant purpose, contributing 32.6 per cent (2022: 29.9 per cent).
Meanwhile, Mohd Uzir said Selangor was the most visited state in 2023, attracting 27.6 million domestic visitors, followed by the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak, with 22.2 million and 17.9 million domestic visitors, respectively.
Notably, the number of domestic tourists visiting Johor witnessed a substantial increase of 42.7 per cent, reaching 8.92 million tourists against 6.25 million tourists in 2022. - Bernama
