27/03/2026

LYFE FRIDAY | MAR 27, 2026

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Malaysian Paper

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D URING this Hari Raya festive period, homecoming journeys and holiday travelling are once again expected to drive one of the largest seasonal movements, especially for over 260 million Muslims across Southeast Asia. Based on booking patterns for the Hari Raya travel window from March 15 to 28, AirAsia Move has identified three emerging trends that highlight how travellers across Asean are reshaping their journey during one of the region’s largest religious celebrations. Travellers making multiple airline, one-way bookings The 2026 Raya season is also marked by greater flexibility in how travellers arrange their flights. Rather than relying on a single airline for both legs of the journey, many are

Raya 2026: Travel habits changing this festive season

automatically recommends suitable accommodation types and adjusts the number of rooms required, making it easier for families to plan their stay. Comfort remains priority, but spending grows more measured Another notable trend points to more deliberate spending decisions without diminishing the importance of the journey itself. Travellers are still returning home or taking holidays, but are making practical adjustments, including choosing more affordable accommodation options. During the period, the average hotel booking spend on Move stands at RM262 per night, indicating a preference for stays that remain comfortable while offering better value. The pattern suggests that while the tradition of returning home for Hari Raya remains deeply rooted, travellers are increasingly managing their budgets with greater care. Taken together, the trends suggest that Hari Raya 2026 is not only a peak travel season, but also a reflection of shifted consumer behaviour across Asean, with travel decisions becoming more collective, strategic and value-driven.

offers access to over 700 global airlines, a notable number of travellers are combining different airlines for their departure and return journeys during the Raya travel period. At the same time, there are nearly 300,000 seats sold for one way bookings with low-cost carriers and full-service airlines during the Raya travel window. The trend reflects evolving family plans as well as travellers’ efforts to navigate fluctuating airfares during peak season. Multi-room accommodation gains popularity With hotel rates commonly surging during the Raya period, cost considerations are reshaping accommodation choices. Travellers journeying with extended families are showing a stronger preference for properties that can host larger groups within a single unit, such as villas, serviced apartments or hotel suites with multiple rooms. Instead of booking rooms separately, families are opting to share a single property, allowing travel costs to be distributed more efficiently across the group. In the Move app, users can easily indicate the number of adults and children when booking hotels or Snap packages. The platform then

o From shared accommodations to one-way flights, many prioritise cost savings

combining different carriers for outbound and return travel, while others are securing one-way

journeys first and deciding on their return later. On the Move platform, which

Many travellers are combining different carriers for outbound and return travel.

Social media sparks rapid growth in Malaysia’s ‘durian tourism’ MALAYSIA has seen a growing “durian tourism” trend, with international visitors, particularly those from China, increasingly building short breaks and day trips around peak durian seasons and well-known producing areas, which appeal is culinary and experiential. Travellers want to taste varieties at source, learn how the fruit is graded and visit orchards that have become destinations, a report by BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions, revealed recently. “Malaysia leads Asean tourism market with growing premiumisation opportunities”. “While this has increased the availability of durians in China, Malaysian durians are considered to be top quality and often cost significantly more in China,” it said. Over the year, China imported US$4 billion and 941,183 tonnes of fresh durians from Thailand. Vietnamese imports accounted for US$3.4 billion and 920,578 tonnes. Finally, China imported

Travellers want to taste durian varieties at source, learn how the fruit is graded and visit orchards that have become destinations. – ALL PIC S FR OM 123RF

US$37.2 million and 3,064 tonnes of fresh durians from Malaysia. For Thailand and Vietnamese durians, this works out to US$4,239 per tonne and US$3,739 per tonne respectively. “For Malaysian durians, this figure is US$12,138 a tonne, highlighting the significant higher price tag that Malaysian durian commands to the point where many Chinese consumers are willing to make a specific trip to Malaysia for the greater quality and authenticity at a lower price tag,” said BMI. As for international tourist arrival as a whole, the report said that it has continued to normalise since the pandemic, with inbound arrivals recovering strongly from 2023, as regional travel rebounded and airlines rebuilt capacity into Kuala Lumpur International Airport and key leisure gateways. Malaysia has the largest international tourism sector in

“While this is not a new phenomenon, with regional tourists such as Singaporeans travelling to Malaysia for ‘durian trips’ for decades, this trend has been amplified by social media,” it said. On Chinese social media platforms, such as Douyin, the appeal of travelling to Malaysia specifically to eat durians has been magnified by how-to guides and the visa-free arrangement. Durian’s status as a must-try regional food experience has also been received particularly well in China, with the market now the world’s top importer of durian in value terms, accounting for around 95% of global import demand, it said. In 2025, China imported US$7.5 billion (RM30 billion) worth of the fruit, with Thailand and Vietnam as the two largest source markets, BMI said in a report titled

Lumpur’s role as a hub, anchored by Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia, has supported point-to-point tourism and onward travel into secondary destinations, said the report. Capacity growth has benefitted established leisure markets such as Langkawi and Penang, while East Malaysia has also gained from improved links through Kota Kinabalu, which functions as a practical gateway for Sabah’s nature and island tourism circuits, it added. – Bernama

sensitive segment and aided the recovery of group tours and family travel.” Recovery from Europe has also improved, as long-haul schedules returned and Malaysia’s entry requirements remain straightforward, while North American volumes have tended to lag due to longer journey times and more limited direct connectivity versus regional alternatives. Air connectivity has been a key enabler of this rebound. Kuala

Asean in terms of the number of international arrivals, at 42.2 million in 2025. Neighbouring Asian countries remain the core demand base, supported by short- haul affordability and frequent connectivity from markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China and India. “The introduction of visa-free entry for mainland Chinese and Indian nationals has helped stimulate demand in a price