Malaysia led Southeast Asia in travel spend growth on Trip.com, with flight and hotel spend both achieving triple-digit year-on-year growth in the first half of 2026.¹
The platform’s data also showed travel interest spreading beyond Kuala Lumpur. Johor Bahru is registering growing inbound interest as a gateway, while Miri and Sibu are emerging as fast-growing cities among inbound visitors.1
RM935 million is proposed for tourism and culture in Budget 2027, as the Visit Malaysia campaign continues into 2027. To maintain this momentum, Trip.com welcomes the measures that strengthen connectivity, including matching grants for new direct flight routes from China, India, Central Asia and Europe, and infrastructure improvements around airports such as Kota Kinabalu, Miri and Penang.
These measures line up with what Trip.com’s data shows: China leads flight bookings to Malaysia,2 and Miri is among the fast-growing cities for inbound visitors.1
“As a travel platform, we see every day how trips are now decided online, often long before the journey begins. A destination with strong connectivity alongside diverse attractions and experiences, while being easy to navigate and explore, has a real advantage, whatever its size. I believe the story of Visit Malaysia’s second year will be the destinations beyond the familiar ones. By empowering industry players and strengthening connectivity, the support proposed in Budget 2027 gives the industry a base to build on,” said Stephane Thong, General Manager, Trip.com Malaysia.
On the inbound side, the national picture is encouraging. Tourism Malaysia reported 28.8 million international visitor arrivals between January and August 2026. Trip.com Group’s data for the same period reflects that momentum, with flight bookings to Malaysia recording double-digit year-on-year growth, led by China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.2
At home, Trip.com’s data shows Malaysians planning their travel earlier. In the first half of 2026, they booked more than a month in advance on average.1 They are also among the quickest to plan with AI, ranking among the five most active users globally of TripGenie, Trip.com’s AI travel assistant, in 2025.
That matches the direction of Budget 2027, which widens access to AI tools, including more free AI subscriptions for young Malaysians. Travel within Malaysia is part of this, and Trip.com aims to continue supporting it through joint, sustained campaigns with Tourism Malaysia and other local partners to highlight destinations nationwide.
Looking ahead, Budget 2027 sets out to make Malaysia a destination of choice for major international events, with rebates proposed for organisers of events at large venues. Trip.com’s data shows what such events can do.
Activated users on Trip.com rose by more than 640% on presale day for the BTS concerts in Kuala Lumpur,3 and hotel bookings in Sepang rose by more than 1,600% within days of the announcement of Formula 1’s return.4 With Malaysia hosting the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games in 2027, more such moments are ahead.
“We appreciate the continued support for tourism in Budget 2027. As travel evolves, Trip.com is well-placed as an OTA to support a more digitally competitive ecosystem in Malaysia, and we’re committed to doing our part. Through AI-powered tools like Trip.Best, which surfaces recommendations using real traveller data, we can give destinations and businesses of every size a way to be discovered. As Visit Malaysia enters its second year, we look forward to bringing more travellers to more parts of the country with our fellow industry players,” added Thong.
Notes:
- Based on Trip.com flight and hotel booking data, January to June 2026, compared to the same period in 2025.
- Based on Trip.com flight booking data, January to August 2026, compared to the same period in 2025.
- Based on Trip.com platform data during the BTS Kuala Lumpur concert presale period, 2026.
- Based on Trip.com platform data following the announcement of Formula 1’s return to Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit, 2026.
