Kota Kinabalu is known for its beautiful sunsets. — MELODY L. GOH/The Star
Already planning for your holidays next year? Make sure to include as many domestic destinations as you can on your schedule.
Of course, this is mainly because of Visit Malaysia 2026, which is targetting to attract 47 million international visitors. But, you would probably get more bang for your buck if you travelled domestically in 2026 anyway; Expect more discounts, special rates, and perhaps even complimentary add-ons from tourism-related businesses (airlines, hotels, theme parks, etc).
Domestic tourism has been on the rise in Malaysia this year, seeing a 28% year-on-year growth, according to data from Trip.Best, Trip.com’s collection of “curated travel recommendations powered by AI and human expertise”, according to its official statement.
The guide ranks the top destinations, hotels, attractions, restaurants and more worldwide based on real user reviews, booking data and quality checks.
For this year, Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, Penang, Johor and Sarawak are listed as the destinations of choice in Malaysia when it comes to domestic travel.
Trip.Best recently revealed its South-East Asia travel trends and lists during a roadshow in Singapore’s popular Resorts World Sentosa.
Based on the presentation, Malaysia is also a top destination for regional travellers, with China making up the biggest number of arrivals. Other main markets for inbound travel in Malaysia include Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
Across South-East Asia, more and more travellers are choosing to holiday in East Asian destinations, with with major China cities like Shanghai, Chengdu and Chongqing gaining popularity since early this year.
Chongqing is now famously known as China's 'cyberpunk' city. — Pixabay
Chongqing, in particular, is a regional favourite, and is the fastest-growing outbound destination for the Malaysian market. Data shows that the city received a 448% year-on-year increase in Trip.Best views, and a whopping 599% surge in bookings.
Surely the viral posts on social media of the “cyberpunk” city’s picturesque multi-level and multi-layered landscape helped to push those numbers.
Other Malaysia insights presented at the event included an increase in online search for “family activities” (up 35% from last year), signalling a growth in family travel. Weekend hotel bookings featuring “children activities” meanwhile saw a 28% increase.
In general, Malaysian holidaymakers prefer family-friendly hotels, followed by scenic hotels and “Instagrammable” hotels.
Malaysians also do not spend too much time mulling over accommodation options, as most would take four days to decide before making a booking. The average in South-East Asia for this is six days; Singaporeans take seven days to decide, while for Thais it is six days.
Experiential travel is the biggest trend in the region, with searches for “activities” rising 808% from last year.
And in terms of “types of destinations”, searches for “cool escape attractions” spiked 1,941% across South-East Asia this year.
According to Trip.com senior regional director for South-East Asia Edmund Ong, dynamic shifts can definitely be seen in user behaviour across the region. “People are becoming more experience-driven, actively planning and pursuing authentic, immersive trips,” he said in a statement.
Ong added that among Malaysians, “travel is increasingly seen as a tool to reconnect with family, especially through short getaways”.
In an interview, Ong revealed that although KL is still a main attraction for international tourists, states like Sabah and Sarawak are fast gaining traction, especially when it comes to domestic tourism.
“This is the trend we’ve been seeing post-pandemic. I think people have started to look beyond just the popular tourist places and are exploring other destinations like Kota Kinabalu (Sabah),” he said.
“We’ve also identified that ‘intra-Asean’ travel is a rapidly growing trend, I would say since mid-2024. Travellers in South-East Asia are visiting each other’s countries, which is great for the regional tourism industry as a whole,” Ong added.
“As momentum builds ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026, Malaysia continues to be a key growth market for Trip.com, and we’re committed to highlighting its diverse tourism offerings via features such as Trip.Best,” he concluded.
