IPOH: Perak took the top spot for the highest number of domestic tourists in 2024, says Loh Sze Yee.
The state tourism committee chairman said, according to the Statistics Department, Perak welcomed 10.2 million local tourists, followed by Selangor and Pahang with 9.6 million and 9.5 million respectively last year.
Loh attributed the achievement partly to the Visit Perak Year 2024 campaign.
"It proves the effectiveness of the campaign and the efforts of all those involved.
"The synergy and cooperation between the state and federal agencies, the industry players, and the people are key to the achievement," he said at a press conference after attending the first-ever Car Free Day programme in Kampar on Saturday (June 21).
Loh said the 10.2 million domestic tourists last year represented a 36.1% increase compared to 7.5 million in 2023.
He noted that in terms of domestic visitors, 21.8 million people came to Perak in 2024 compared to 17.1 million in 2023.
"Domestic tourists are those who stayed at least one night in Perak, while domestic visitors also included day-trip tourists," he added.
The top five districts visited included Kinta, followed by Larut and Matang, Manjung, Kuala Kangsar, and Batang Padang.
"The top five destinations are Teluk Batik, Lumut Waterfront, Ipoh Night Market, Gunung Lang Recreational Park, and Pangkor Island," he said.
Loh said the state hopes to maintain the momentum for next year, with it being Visit Malaysia 2026.
"It's going to be a free-for-all between all states to vie for tourists," he added.
