Since the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) started, many Malaysians have started traveling again, be it for work or leisure. We asked Malaysians about their travel habits, locations they have traveled to or are planning to and the type of holidays they are looking forward to.

Updated 3.30pm, 12 August: We apologise the previous data-set included errors which we regrettably overlooked. The data has now been updated to reflect an accurate representation of Malaysians who are travelling, planning to travel, and do not want to travel currently.

Some points to take note of are:

  • 56% of Malaysians have already started travelling within Malaysia or are planning to since the domestic travel ban was lifted.
  • 71% of Malaysians say they do not want to travel anywhere currently as they do not feel safe with the still existing COVID-19 cases, daily.
  • Malaysians say their top reasons for travelling is to visit their family/relatives/friends (46%), to support the local economy (39%), and because they feel it is a good time to explore Malaysia (27%).
  • Top states which Malaysians have travelled or are planning to travel to are Penang (31%), Melaka (28%), W.P Kuala Lumpur (25%), Terengganu (23%), and Kedah (22%).
  • Top reasons Malaysians select their holiday destinations currently are for the local food (50%), affordable local attractions (44%), and affordable accommodation (40%).
  • 70% of Malaysians book their travel accommodations via an online booking site, while only 11% say they contact the accommodation property directly via email/phone.
  • Top online platforms used for accommodation bookings are Agoda (69%), Booking.com (59%), and Trivago (40%).
  • Safety precautions which Malaysians have taken or are planning to take during their holidays are to follow all SOPs stipulated by the government (85%), going about normally but ensuring they regularly sanitise and keep clean (58%), and not enter any crowded areas (54%).
  • Those living in the Central region (38%) and East Coast (39%) have travelled or are planning to travel to Penang, while those in East Malaysia (35%) and the Northern region (30%) have travelled or are planning to travel to W.P Kuala Lumpur. Those in the Southern region (34%) have travelled or are planning to travel to Melaka.
  • Bumiputera's (31%) say they have travelled to or are planning to travel to Terengganu, while Chinese (39%) have travelled or are planning to travel to W.P Kuala Lumpur, and Indians & Others (44%) have traveled or are planning to travel to Penang.
  • Those aged between 35-39 (25%), 40-44 (28%), and 45-55 (22%) select holiday locations that have landmarks which are suitable for children, while those aged 24-29 (27%) say the reason they select a location is because they have never been to the state before and think it is now a good time to visit.

This data is publicly available for use. If you are using this data, you would need to attribute the data to Vase.ai by stating "Survey conducted by Vase.ai. Find the data at "https://vase.ai/data-trust/projects/tourism2020/summary/?cues=1"

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The views and opinions expressed in the report above are an aggregate analysis taken from 1,080 respondents sampled according to Malaysian Census and Malaysian Internet Census data. This aggregate analysis does not mirror the values and opinions of Vase Technologies Sdn Bhd (1152290-M) or Digi-X.

Vase Technologies is the operator of a platform to collect user opinions, and as such will not take any liability for the statements above. In case of any damages or other liabilities arising, no party can be liable as the data above is taken in aggregate.