Domestic tourism spending hit RM121.3bil in 2025

PUTRAJAYA: The domestic tourism sector continued its upward trajectory in 2025, with total domestic visitor expenditure rising 13.6% to RM121.3 billion from RM106.7 billion in 2024, according to the Domestic Tourism Survey 2025 released by the statistics department today.

Chief statistician Uzir Mahidin said the increase was driven by higher spending among tourists and excursionists, which grew 14.6% and 12.2%, respectively.

Tourists remained the largest contributors to domestic tourism spending, accounting for 59.5% of total visitor expenditure.

The stronger spending trend coincided with an increase in domestic travel activity, with the number of domestic visitors rising 11.5% to 290.1 million in 2025 compared with 260.1 million the previous year.

The average length of stay also edged up to 2.56 nights from 2.49 nights, reflecting a stronger propensity among travellers to participate in domestic tourism activities and spend longer periods at destinations within the country, Uzir said in a statement.

He attributed the sector’s strong performance to heightened travel demand during major festive and holiday periods, including Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Christmas, and school holidays.

He said state-level tourism campaigns held under various Tahun Melawat Negeri initiatives also helped stimulate interstate travel and tourism spending.

Likewise, cultural and tourism events such as the Kaamatan festival in Sabah and Gawai Dayak celebrations in Sarawak contributed to increased visitor movements and tourism-related economic activities, he said.

Large-scale concerts, festivals, exhibitions, and sporting tournaments further encouraged domestic travel, while Malaysia’s hosting of several Asean meetings and related programmes boosted business and event-related travel nationwide.

In terms of travel patterns, land transport remained the preferred mode of travel, accounting for 97.5% of domestic trips in 2025.

For accommodation, staying with relatives and friends continued to be the most popular choice, representing 56.2% of tourists.

However, the use of paid accommodation increased to 43.8% in 2025 from 39.6% a year earlier, with hotels remaining the leading option at 23.1%.

At the state level, Selangor remained the country’s most visited destination with 36.4 million visitors, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 35.1 million visitors and Perak with 23.6 million.