The domestic tourism sector recorded strong growth in 2025, with total expenditure by domestic visitors reaching RM121.3 billion, an increase of 13.6% from RM106.7 billion in 2024, according to the latest report by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM).
The growth was supported by higher spending from both domestic tourists and excursionists, which increased by 14.6% and 12.2% respectively.
Tourists remained the largest contributor to domestic tourism expenditure, accounting for 59.5% of total spending during the year.
Shopping continued to dominate domestic tourism spending, contributing 36.9% of total expenditure. This was followed by spending on food and beverages at 16.1%, while automotive fuel purchases accounted for 13.5%.
The increase in domestic tourism activity was also reflected in visitor numbers, which rose 11.5% to 290.1 million in 2025 compared with 260.1 million in 2024.
Selangor emerged as the most visited state, attracting 36.4 million domestic visitors, followed by the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur with 35.1 million visitors and Perak with 23.6 million visitors.
Kuala Lumpur recorded a significant increase in domestic tourist arrivals, rising 62.1% to 10.1 million in 2025 from 6.2 million a year earlier.
In terms of travel purposes, visiting relatives and friends remained the main reason for domestic trips, accounting for 35.6% of all journeys in 2025, slightly higher than 34.6% recorded in 2024.
Meanwhile, travel motivated by shopping declined, with its share falling to 24.6% from 27.6% the previous year, indicating a shift in domestic travel behaviour.
The average length of stay among domestic visitors also improved moderately, increasing to 2.56 nights in 2025 from 2.49 nights in 2024.
DOSM said the statistics were derived from the Domestic Tourism Survey (DTS) 2025, which tracks visitor arrivals, tourism expenditure, travel patterns and the socio-demographic profile of domestic travellers.
The continued expansion of domestic tourism highlights the sector’s growing contribution to Malaysia’s services economy, supported by increased mobility, leisure travel and household spending.
