PUTRAJAYA: Domestic tourism in Malaysia surged 16.1% with a total of 54.3 million visitors recorded in the fourth quarter of 2023 (Q4 2023) compared with the same period the previous year, according to a report released by the Statistics Department.

       Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin said based on a quarter-on-quarter comparison, domestic visitors increased by 1.6% from the third quarter of 2023.

       He said domestic tourism expenditure for the second quarter of 2023 was RM23.8bil, an increase of 29.5% year-on-year, and a 18.5% from the previous quarter, Bernama reported.

       “Overall, Malaysia’s domestic tourism in 2023 recorded 210.9 million visitors, an increase of 22.9% compared with a year ago.

       “Domestic tourism expenditure for 2023 was RM84.9bil, up 32.5% compared with last year.

       “However, both statistics were still below pre-pandemic levels (2019) with domestic visitors recorded down by 11.8% and expenditure down by 17.7 %,” he said in a statement.

       Mohd Uzir said theme park revenue increased 49.2% year-on-year, followed by domestic airport arrivals (+1.7%), highway traffic (+10.9%), and retail sales of automotive fuel (+3.4%).

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       Meanwhile, the accommodation revenue index also increased by 12.5%, while the occupancy rate for five-star hotels rose 2.1%, followed by four-star hotels (+0.7%), and three-star hotels (+14.8%).

       Occupancy rate by location at hills and towns was up 2.2% and 2.6%, respectively, compared with the same quarter last year.