Less than six hours, please.

Date: 30 December 2012

Less than six hours, please.

MALAYSIA - Which city do Malaysians most searched for on the Internet?

Is it London, the best city for shopping in the world? Milan, the city of fashion? Paris, the city of food and arts? Or New York, often described as the cultural capital of the world?

The answer is ...none of the above.

According to a survey by Trip Advisor, the world's largest travel site, Malaysians often go to its site to find out more about its neighbour across the causeway. That's right, Singapore.

"Singapore tops the list of 10 destinations that are most searched by Malaysians on Trip Advisor. Besides Singapore, eight other Asian destinations made it to the list," said Cindy Tan, Trip Advisor vice-president of display and advertising sales, Asia Pacific.

However, she added that the survey did not specify what travellers were looking for in their search.

The results showed that Malaysians do not enjoy long-haul flights but instead have a preference for journeys which take less than six hours. Coming in second is Bangkok, followed by Hong Kong, Krabi Town, Kuta, Seoul, Bandung, Taipei, London, and finally, Patong.

"It also shows that London as their only favourite European city," said Tan.

As far as local towns and cities are concerned, Kuala Lumpur tops the list. Tan explained that locals travel domestically, based on their seasonal needs (for public holidays and festive seasons). The majority travel to visit friends and relatives, followed by shopping, vacation and entertainment and recreation facilities, as well as other forms of new urban-centric attractions.

The other nine most viewed local destinations are Malacca, Genting Highlands, Kota Kinabalu, George Town, Batu Ferringhi, Johor Baru, Port Dickson, Kuching and Kuantan. The ranking of destinations represents the number of sessions based on Malaysian IP addresses on TripAdvisor.com between Jan 1 and Nov 30.

By Shuib Taib, New Straits Times

Copyright © 2012 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd