Balik kampung was how Malaysians traditionally do festive travel, but in recent years there’s been a trend of taking holiday trips instead during festive periods. Those who opt for international trips typically choose Japan’s Tokyo and Osaka or Australia’s Perth. But this time, half of domestic bookings were made over 60 days in advance. For international trips, most Malaysians opted to travel to neighbouring Singapore and Bangkok (Thailand) during Chinese New Year. As for inbound visits, there was a 33% year-on-year increase in travel bookings.

Source: The Star March 10, 2026 13:30 UTC