PETALING JAYA: Trip.com welcomes the RM935 million proposed for tourism and culture in Budget 2027 as a measure that strengthens connectivity, including matching grants for new direct flight routes from China, India, Central Asia and Europe, and infrastructure improvements around airports such as Kota Kinabalu, Miri and Penang.
According to the platform, these measures align with Trip.com’s data showing China leads flight bookings to Malaysia, and Miri is among the fastest-growing cities for inbound visitors.
According to Trip.com data, Malaysia led Southeast Asia in travel spend growth, with flight and hotel spend both achieving triple-digit year-on-year growth in the first half of 2026.
The platform’s data also showed travel interest spreading beyond Kuala Lumpur.
Johor Bahru is seeing growing inbound interest as a gateway, while Miri and Sibu are emerging as fast-growing destinations for inbound visitors.
Trip.com Malaysia general manager Stephane Thong said that, as a travel platform, it sees every day how trips are now decided online, often long before the journey begins.
“A destination with strong connectivity alongside diverse attractions and experiences, while being easy to navigate and explore, has a real advantage, whatever its size.
“I believe the story of Visit Malaysia’s second year will be the destinations beyond the familiar ones.
“By empowering industry players and strengthening connectivity, the support proposed in Budget 2027 gives the industry a base to build on,” she said.
Looking ahead, Trip.com says Budget 2027 sets out to make Malaysia a destination of choice for major international events, with rebates proposed for organisers of events at large venues.
Trip.com’s data shows what such events can do. Activated users on Trip.com rose by more than 640% on presale day for the BTS concerts in Kuala Lumpur, and hotel bookings in Sepang rose by more than 1,600% within days of the announcement of Formula 1’s return.
With Malaysia hosting the SEA Games and Asean Para Games in 2027, more such moments are ahead.
“We appreciate the continued support for tourism in Budget 2027. As travel evolves, Trip.com is well-placed as an OTA to support a more digitally competitive ecosystem in Malaysia, and we’re committed to doing our part.
“Through AI-powered tools like Trip.Best, which surfaces recommendations using real traveller data, we can give destinations and businesses of every size a way to be discovered.
“As Visit Malaysia enters its second year, we look forward to bringing more travellers to more parts of the country with our fellow industry players,” Thong said.
On the inbound side, Trip.com noted that the national picture is encouraging.
Tourism Malaysia reported 28.8 million international visitor arrivals between January and August 2026.
Trip.com Group’s data for the same period reflects that momentum, with flight bookings to Malaysia recording double-digit year-on-year growth, led by China, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.
At home, Trip.com’s data shows Malaysians planning their travel earlier. In the first half of 2026, domestic travellers booked more than a month in advance on average.
They are also among the quickest to plan with AI, ranking among the five most active users globally of TripGenie, Trip.com’s AI travel assistant, in 2025.
Trip.com noted that this trend aligns with Budget 2027, which widens access to AI tools, including more free AI subscriptions for young Malaysians.
Travel within Malaysia is part of this, and Trip.com aims to continue supporting it through joint, sustained campaigns with Tourism Malaysia and other local partners to highlight destinations nationwide.
