Letter to Editor
EXPENDITURES from outbound, inbound and domestic tourism benefit the destinations visited.
Whereas trips by locals visiting nearby beaches or jungles and spending little or no money are recreational activities, not tourism.
Last year, Malaysians made 11.9 mil outbound trips and spent RM61.4 bil.
Visits to Thailand accounted for 30.2% of all trips, Indonesia 15.3%, Singapore 11.7%, Japan 7.5%, China and South Korea at 4.6% each, Saudi Arabia 3.4%, Vietnam 2.9%, and United Kingdom 2.1%.
In the same year, foreigners made 42.2 mil inbound trips to Malaysia, of which 26.6 mil were tourists that stayed for at least one night and 15.6 mil were excursionists that left on the same day as arrival.
Together, they spent RM110.6 bil in the country.
In 2025, there were 290.1 mil domestic visitors making 332.2 mil trips, with 106,467,000 tourists staying at least one night away from home and 183,633,000 excursionists returning home the same day.
Together, Malaysians spent RM121.3 bil on domestic tourism in the country last year.
Interestingly, 85% of domestic tourism expenditures were on shopping (36.9%), food and beverages (16.1%), automotive fuel (13.5%), accommodation (10.7%) and visited households (7.6%).
The main purpose for 36% of all visitors was to visit family, relatives or friends especially during the festive holidays.
Their stay at paid accommodation increased from 29% in 2019 to 44% in 2025. They travelled in private cars or used public transport, and all these vehicles consumed RM16.38 bil in petrol or diesel.
The above data were derived from the entry or exit records of all checkpoints controlled by Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (JIM) or scientific surveys conducted by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB), and Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Few tourism industry players take cognisance of the above information.
But like everyone else, they too witness that tourism in our country is very much alive and kicking, as huge crowds are often seen at air, train, bus and ferry terminals, popular malls and attractions.
And among the biggest exhibitions in Malaysia is the bi-annual MATTA Fair held in Kuala Lumpur, with its 59th edition from September 4 to 6, 2026 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) located at KL Metropolis in Dutamas.
Over 2,026 booths occupying more than 40,820 square metres across 10 exhibition halls have been taken up by 285 participating organisations including outbound, inbound and domestic tour operators, accommodation providers, airlines, cruise lines, attractions and national tourism organisations (NTOs).
NTOs are government-funded public bodies responsible for marketing, developing, and managing a country’s tourism industry.
Taiwan is named “International Favourite Destination” in this MATTA Fair, thanks to participation by its Tourism Administration Kuala Lumpur Office.
And as usual, the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB) or in short Tourism Malaysia (TM) will again be out in full force to showcase its activities and support Malaysian products including lesser-known attractions and resorts to lure more visitors to domestic destinations.
Earlier in April 2026, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) renewed its strategic partnership with MATTA for a further three-year term, continuing its role as the Official Airline Partner and Premier Sponsor of MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur and across select MATTA Fair state editions nationwide.
This weekend fair is ready to welcome 180,000 visitors eager to snap up tourism products, particularly tour packages, especially those at bargain prices.
Foreign tourism industry players will also be making a beeline to this iconic exhibition to learn and emulate the success of Malaysia’s thriving tourism industry.—Sept 2, 2026
YS Chan is a tourism, transport and training consultant.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Tripoto
