Malaysians spread wings to new destinations.

25th March, 2013

Malaysians spread wings to new destinations.

Malaysians are taking advantage of new air links to explore a broader range of tourist destinations, a new study of online bookings has shown.

Travel search site Wego looked at the behaviour of 100,000 travellers using the company’s Malaysian site, www.wego.co.my. The results found that Malaysians searched for 2,500 flight destinations in 2012 – 900 more than in 2011. This trend was matched in terms of accommodation searches, with a rise of 400 hotel destinations taking the total to almost 2,000.

And while Wego noted that regional hubs such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Taipei and Singapore are still most popular, Malaysians appear to be developing an appetite for new destinations, driven by the proliferation of new low-cost air routes being launched from Kuala Lumpur.

“Users are constantly finding new routes with AirAsia, Jetstar, Malindo Air and other carriers which soon become popular, especially if they are seen to be affordable,” said Dean Wicks, Wego’s Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s driving a shift away from the traditional selections of Bali and Phuket in favour of destinations like Bandung, a favourite weekend retreat with Jakarta residents, Hat Yai, Macau and Perth.”

Only a quarter of flight searches on www.wego.com.my are domestic, with Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu trending up, according to Wego, along with Penang and Johor Bahru. And Wicks said he expects Malaysians to expand their horizons further in future, as airlines continued to add new routes.

“AirAsia’s push into India with Chennai as the hub, Malaysia Airlines joining oneworld and teaming up with partners Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Qantas will change the mix again, especially on the mid- to long-haul. Istanbul, for example is another destination gaining share of our Malaysian users’ attention,” he said.

Malaysians are also now moving more up-market. A record 16% searched for five-star properties in 2012, up from less 14% in 2011.

By: Mark Elliott

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