Majority of Malaysians plan to travel this year

KUALA LUMPUR: An estimated 80% of Malaysian respondents say they are excited to travel this year, a survey conducted by Europ Assistance (EA) with market research company Ipsos, indicates.

From the figure, 69% of Malaysian respondents wanted to travel abroad in 2023, while 41% opted for domestic travel as they favour Asean markets like Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines after the pandemic, said EA South-East Asia chief executive officer Philippe Demangeat in a statement.

“Malaysians are planning to spend an average of RM6,500 all-inclusive per trip, with an average duration of 10 days. Both budget and duration are comparatively lower as opposed to other regions, with inflation and cost as the main factors,” he added.

Demangeat said inflation was the main reason that negatively impacted Malaysians’ enthusiasm to travel, while Covid-19 came in second. However, the inflation factor has also impacted travel preferences in developed countries such as Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States.

The collaborative survey research is the output of the EA’s 22nd edition of the Holiday Barometer on travel preferences across 15 countries including Malaysia, Bernama reported. The survey was conducted among 15,000 people, with 1,000 respondents from each country, including Malaysia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.