Malaysia’s domestic tourists rose 33.7 percent year-on-year to 48.6 million visitors in the first quarter of 2023, official data showed Monday.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement that for quarter-on-quarter comparison, the domestic visitors increased 3.9 percent as compared to the fourth quarter of 2022.
Meanwhile, domestic tourism expenditure for the first quarter stood at 19.2 billion ringgit (4.1 billion U.S. dollars), jumped 47 percent year-on-year, and rose 4.6 percent quarter-on-quarter.
DOSM data also showed that the domestic tourism performance in Malaysia experienced a notable recovery in 2022, with a total spending of 64.1 billion ringgit, soaring 248.1 percent from 18.4 billion ringgit in 2021.
The number of domestic visitors in 2022 also surged 160.1 percent to reach 171.6 million compared to the 66 million recorded in 2021.
“After enduring nearly two years of the devastating COVID-19, the resumption of domestic tourism brings a sense of relief to the people of Malaysia and its economy,” said DOSM. (1 ringgit equals 0.21 U.S. dollars)