24/10/2025

LYFE FRIDAY | OCT 24, 2025

FOLLOW

ON INSTAGRAM

22

Malaysian Paper

Next big shifts in travel o KL rises as global fashion hotspot, while 66% of Malaysians now combine concerts or festivals with family vacations

@thesundaily @t

Social media drives travel bookings. Events such as Fashion Week amplify the importance of “being there”, with Google searches for “how to get invited” leaping 190% year-on-year (y-o-y). New destinations are rising in popularity, with Kuala Lumpur, Stockholm and Dubai joining the ranks of traditional fashion week cities such as Paris, Milan and New York. 0 Travel to connect (where music, sport and multigenerational moments bring people together) Travel is no longer a solo pursuit. It is a shared experience. Friends, families and fan communities are influencing where people go, with concerts and sports as key travel drivers. Among Malaysian travellers, 66% are combining concerts or festivals with vacations in family groups, while football (62%), Formula 1 (42%) and basketball (31%) are the most popular sports to combine with travel. 0 Travel with purpose (where curiosity and meaning replace cookie-cutter itineraries) Travellers increasingly crave cultural experiences with a more thoughtful sense of exploration. Google searches for “Japanese tea ceremonies” show a 53% y-o-y increase, demonstrating the desire for unique experiences that inspire. 0 Travel to heal (where wellness and restoration become the agenda) Wellness trips are evolving – from vacation side activities to the main event. According to Google trends, searches for “spa destination experiences” grew by 140% y-o-y. This health-centric agenda is also extending into the realm of medical tourism, as searches for “what is medical tourism” and “meaning of medical tourism” climbed 90% and 60% y-o-y respectively. 0 Travel of tomorrow (where AI and immersive technologies redefine inspiration and discovery) Technologies such as AI has

T RAVELLERS are rewriting the rulebook on why they travel, opting for meaning over mileage and experiences over rote itineraries, according to Why Travel?, a new global consumer report that examines the intersection of purpose, people and place in travel. Trip.com Group and Google explored this shift in the report,

which uncovers how travellers are seeking deeper purpose and richer connections through culture, community and technology to create more experience-focused journeys in 2026 and beyond. The report highlights five key themes that are shaping tomorrow’s journeys: 0 Travel as expression (where identity and aesthetics drive choices)

Events such as KL Fashion Week have contributed to tourism in Malaysia. – PICS BY VERONICA ELANKOVAN/THESUN

consumer growth will be driven by emotional alignment, cultural fluency and tech-enabled flexibility – the foundations of the future of travel.

become the co-pilot as consumers’ confidence in using technology to plan a trip grows. “Help planning my trip” searches grow by +190% y-o-y. Looking ahead, the next wave of

Some people travel to scenic places to heal.

Web series showcases Asean cultural exchange HARDSHIPS and discipline of Asean Grab partners are getting celebrated through the cultural-bonding web series Rakan Grab Jelajah Asean in collaboration with digital media KS Lagi. In support of Malaysia’s Asean Ű BY ASHIQIN AHMAD

AIRASIA X TAKES OFF TO TASHKENT

AirAsia X (AAX) has launched its inaugural direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. This new connection further broadens AAX’s global footprint, linking Southeast Asia with Uzbekistan’s capital city, a hub steeped in Silk Road heritage and opening affordable access for travellers between both regions. The new service is expected to boost arrivals from Central Asia while promoting Malaysia’s diverse destinations and Muslim-friendly tourism ecosystem. SCOOT LAUNCHES NEW ROUTES TO LABUAN BAJO, MEDAN, PALEMBANG, SEMARANG Scoot has launched new flight services to Labuan Bajo, Medan, Palembang and Semarang. These flights will commence progressively between December 2025 and February 2026, offering customers more diverse travel experiences. Labuan Bajo, located at the western part of Flores Island in Indonesia, is renowned for its pristine beaches, beautiful coral reefs, as well as vibrant marine life in the Flores Sea. In addition to being the main gateway to Komodo National Park, a Unesco World Heritage site, Labuan Bajo is also known for its panoramic views of surrounding islands such as Padar Island and cultural sites such as the Wae Rebo Village.

BR I E F S

From left: Grab Malaysia director, country operations and mobility Rashid Shukor, Grab drivers Muhamad Aiman Shamsudin, Christine Wee Seow Ling and Syukri, as well as

chairmanship, the three-part web series taps into how Grab co-creates with its local driver and delivery partners to find localised solutions that meet the diverse needs of communities across Southeast Asia. The web series sees host Shahril Hamdan, joined by three Malaysian Grab partners, journey across Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. For these three partners, it was their first time visiting the respective countries, discovering and highlighting how local on-the-ground experiences continue to inspire Muhamad Syukri Ghazali, one of the driver partners who got the chance to visit Bali, Indonesia expressed his gratitude and excitement for the opportunity. “I never expected to ever got the chance to visit Bali, it was like a dream come true. Although the culture and view might be different, the people in Bali reminded me of home. “Visiting them gave me a deeper appreciation of how our fellow partners across Asean share the same drive to provide for their families, to serve their communities and to keep moving forward. Although our cities are different, the spirit is the same and it’s inspiring

Shahril during the screening of Rakan Grab Jelajah Asean .

public’s eye to see the shared struggles just to make ends meet. “Our driver and delivery partners are the pulse of our ecosystem. They understand their cities and customers better than anyone else and their experiences directly inspire the technology we build. Rakan Grab Jelajah Asean celebrates how we work together to create technology that is inclusive, sustainable and built for the region,” said Grab Malaysia managing director Adelene Foo. The full three episodes of the series will be uploaded on KS Lagi social media platforms.

to see how technology connects all of us in that shared journey,” he said during the premiere in Kuala Lumpur earlier this week. Shahril expressed hopes that the series will continue in the future and delve deeper into the stories of many other drivers and delivery partners. “It is hard to truly capture the depths and complexity of their lives when it is compressed into a short web series. There are so many other real stories that we can share and we hope that the series will continue,” he said. He also said by humanising these drivers through cultural exchange will open the