Malaysia recorded the strongest travel spend growth in Southeast Asia on Trip.com in the first half of 2026, with both flight and hotel spending posting triple-digit year-on-year increases, as tourism demand broadened beyond Kuala Lumpur.
Trip.com said Johor Bahru is attracting growing inbound interest as a gateway destination, while Miri and Sibu are emerging as fast-growing cities among international visitors.
The travel platform welcomed the RM935 million allocation proposed for tourism and culture under Budget 2027, particularly measures aimed at strengthening air connectivity and supporting Visit Malaysia 2027.
These include matching grants for new direct flight routes from China, India, Central Asia and Europe, as well as infrastructure improvements around airports including Kota Kinabalu, Miri and Penang.
Trip.com Malaysia General Manager Stephane Thong said stronger connectivity and easier destination discovery would be important in sustaining tourism momentum, particularly for destinations outside the country’s traditional tourism hotspots.
Inbound travel trends remain encouraging, with Tourism Malaysia reporting 28.8 million international visitor arrivals between January and August 2026.
Trip.com said flight bookings to Malaysia during the same period recorded double-digit year-on-year growth, led by travellers from China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The platform also highlighted the potential impact of major international events on travel demand.
Trip.com said activated users on its platform increased by more than 640% on the presale day for BTS concerts in Kuala Lumpur, while hotel bookings in Sepang surged by more than 1,600% within days of the announcement of Formula 1’s return.
With Malaysia set to host the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games in 2027, Trip.com expects major events to provide another boost to travel demand.
The company said it plans to continue working with Tourism Malaysia and other industry partners to promote destinations nationwide as Visit Malaysia enters its second year.
