Malaysia gets domestic tourism boost thanks to 25 to 39 year olds

Domestic tourism expenditure in Malaysia has increased by 11.4% in 2018, its second year seeing a double-digit growth since 2017's 11.1%. A total of RM92,561 million was spent in domestic tourism during 2018 compared to RM83,103 million recorded in the previous year.Shopping registered the highest share of total expenditure made by a visitor for a trip at 37.6%.According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia, the country also saw a higher record in number of visitor arrivals. Domestic visitors grew by 7.7% to a total of 221.3 million. In terms of the volume of total tourism trips, domestic visitors undertook 302.4 million trips within the country.Selangor was the most visited state by domestic visitors in 2018, accounting for 30.2 million visitors, followed by Sabah (20.4 million), Sarawak (19.4 million), W.P. Kuala Lumpur (19.2 million) and Pahang (18.1 million).Majority of the domestic visitors were from the age group of 25 to 39 years, contributing 39.6% of the visitors.This was followed by domestic visitors aged 40 to 54 years (26.4%), 15 to 24 years (19.1%) and 55 years and above (14.9%).Based on household income class, domestic visitors between RM1,001 to RM3,000 per month recorded the highest share of 43.3%. This was followed by visitors earning between RM3,001 to RM5,000 per month (23.7%) and RM5,001 to RM10,000 per month (17.4%).Travelling patternsVisiting relatives and friends (40.6%) was the highest main purpose of visit for visitors, followed by shopping (34.7%) and holiday/leisure/relaxation (10.4%). Land transport was most widely used by domestic visitors in 2018 with 98.3%, while unpaid accommodation provided by relatives and friends (68.2%) was the most popular type of accommodation, followed by hotel (20.4%), apartment (4.4%), homestay/vacation homes (3.0%), chalet (2.3%) and rest house (1.7%).More in the infographic by Department of Statistics Malaysia below:Read more: Melaka to host Hasbro-themed water park as part of Malaysia Tourism City project Tourism Malaysia to unveil new Visit Malaysia Year 2020 logo in June Tourism Malaysia calls for global creative and media pitch Tourism Malaysia and Barbie get Malaysians walking around town with their dolls Tourism Malaysia eyes RM100bn tourism receipts with Visit Malaysia campaign Tourism Malaysia and MAHB to each contribute RM10m for tourism efforts Medical tourism: How Malaysia can make its mark as a hub