‘Travellers spend more on accommodation, particularly in Penang and Langkawi’
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian travellers spent more on accommodation last year, particularly in Langkawi and Penang, according to the latest Hotel Price Index (HPI) from Hotels.com.
The accommodation booking site revealed that the average accommodation price paid in Malaysia was in line with the global uptrend last year.
However, it said the average accommodation price paid by travellers in Johor dropped 10 per cent.
“We have observed significant increases in prices recorded in all top domestic destinations, with exceptions in Johor and Sarawak.
“The double-digit price increase in Sabah last year corresponded with the strong growth of the tourism sector in the state, which received 3.67 million tourists in 2017, an all-time high,” said Hotels.com Brand regional director for greater China, Southeast Asia and India, Jessica Chuang.
She said Langkawi’s significant 19 per cent rise in hotel prices last year corresponded with the introduction of new direct flight routes connecting the island with two major cities in China — Guangzhou and Shenzhen.
The top 10 destinations that Malaysian travellers paid average accommodation prices for were Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor, Melaka, Sabah, Sarawak, Langkawi, Petaling Jaya, Ipoh and Cameron Highlands.
“Strong increases have been observed in outbound accommodation prices paid by Malaysians last year, especially at regional destinations such as Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong,” she said.
The average accommodation prices paid by Malaysian travellers in top 10 overseas destinations were Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taipei, Ho Chi Minh City, Hat Yai, Seoul, Tokyo, Jakarta and Phuket.
Chuang said last year was a major coup for Japanophiles, with the ringgit’s strong performance against the yen.
“As such Malaysian visitors found themselves paying considerably less in 2017 for popular destinations, such as Tokyo and Osaka,” said Chuang.
The average accommodation prices paid by Malaysian travellers at top three Japanese destinations last year were Tokyo, Osaka and Sapporo, followed by top three Italian destinations — Rome, Milan and Florence.
The HPI noted that the overnight accommodation prices rose two per cent globally last year, after three years of flat prices.