DOMESTIC TOURISM SOARS WITH 66.3 MILLION VISITORS IN Q3 2024

PUTRAJAYA, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's domestic tourism performance showed strong growth in the third quarter of 2024, recording 66.3 million visitors and a total expenditure of RM25.6 billion, according to a report by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) today.

The DOSM report is based on the Malaysia Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) for the third quarter of 2024.

Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin, however, said that compared to the previous quarter, domestic visitors decreased by 3.2 per cent, while expenditure also showed a 9.1 per cent decrease.

He said tourism-related performance in the third quarter of 2024 was encouraging, with retail sales of fuel increasing by 6.3 per cent year-on-year, followed by highway traffic (+5.5 per cent), domestic airport arrivals (+3.5 per cent), and zoo revenues (+1.7 per cent).

Mohd Uzir said in the accommodation sector, revenue increased by 12.9 per cent compared to the previous year.

He said this growth was supported by an increase in occupancy rates for five-star hotels (+1.1 per cent), followed by four-star hotels (+4.2 per cent) and three-star hotels (+0.2 per cent).

“The occupancy rate in urban areas rose by 3.4 per cent compared to the same quarter last year,” he said.

As of September 2024, Malaysia’s domestic tourism recorded a total of 193.3 million visitors, reflecting a 21.8 per cent year-on-year increase.

“Domestic tourism expenditure for the first nine months of 2024 reached RM77.8 billion, reflecting strong growth of 27.2 per cent year-on-year,” he said in a statement today.

Mohd Uzir said domestic tourism in Malaysia is one of the key pillars of the national economy, driven by an increasing number of visitors, high expenditure and strong performance across tourism-related industries.

“This growth is expected to continue, strengthening the sector’s importance to the overall health of the national economy,” he added.

-- BERNAMA