More travellers are now turning to AI to digitally plan their trips. — Unsplash
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not the future, it is the present. Countries around the world have seen positive implementation of AI in various fields, including travel.
Malaysia is no exception. According to data derived from the Agoda 2026 Travel Outlook Report, 40% of Malaysians are already actively using AI to plan their trips.
This shows Malaysia as having the highest AI adoption among the nine surveyed markets, which include India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. As many as 3,353 respondents participated in the survey conducted in October.
The data also show that 59% of Malaysians are planning to use AI for their next trip. When it comes to trusting AI-generated information, 36% expressed trust, while 12% are still uneasy about relying on AI tools.
All the same, 34% respondents stated their intention to use AI tools for destination recommendations, 33% for suggestions on activities and attractions, and 29% for restaurant choices.
There is a 17% increase from last year when it comes to interest in domestic exploration, with 47% Malaysian travellers planning to focus more on local travels in 2026. In a way, this trend is expected, and timely, as the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign begins next month.
Secondary destinations or lesser-known locations are gaining more attention as well thanks to lower travel costs, special promotions, and the nature-based experiences offered by platforms like Agoda.
“As AI continues to offer convenient planning support, the trend is clear that travellers are seeking personalised, experience-driven trips that deliver real value for money,” said Fabian Teja, country director Malaysia and Brunei at Agoda, in a press statement.
He also highlighted how “Malaysians are increasingly prioritising travel that is purposeful and well-planned” in regard to travelling in 2026.
Most Malaysian travellers would allocate four to seven days for their trips, according to the report, with 59% of those surveyed preferring to spend the holidays with their family and 28% with a spouse or partner.
Operating within a reasonable budget, 64% plan to spend US$50 (RM206.60) or less per night on accommodation.
Primary travel motivations for Malaysians are relaxation, culinary experiences, and shopping, with most wanting trips that have a perfect balance of rest, exploration and value.
Software developers in the region continue to grow their AI literacy. — Pexels
In a separate study, also commissioned by Agoda and conducted in partnership with Macrame Consulting, findings show that AI adoption is also high among software developers in South-East Asia and India.
The online survey held between August and September gathered responses from more than 600 developers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and India. Regional companies involved in the survey include Carousell, MoMo, Omise, and SCB 10x.
Across the surveyed markets, 95% of developers are using AI weekly, and 56% keep an AI assistant constantly open. Their main motivation for its usage is speed and automation (80%), with 37% of engineers saving four to six hours weekly through AI usage.
Once again, Malaysia shows the highest share across all seven markets, with 69.1% of Malaysia-based developers consistently using AI when coding. AI helps significantly accelerate their tasks, reported 57% of the developers, while 45.5% stated it “somewhat” does so.
Currently, only one in four teams operate under official AI guidelines, as formal policies are still a rarity. This survey also shows that AI is mainstream in the region but it’s still in its nascent stage.
Developers are mostly self-taught, with only 28% receiving employer-led training, and 71% learn through tutorials, side projects or online communities.
