Domestic tourism at record high but inbound tourism remains unclear

 

THE best indicators of how well domestic and inbound tourism are performing are by visitor numbers and tourism expenditures. Over the years, these figures were regularly posted by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) and Tourism Malaysia (TM) in their websites.

The annual Domestic Tourism Surveys (DTS) were consistently released at the end of every June, and tourist arrival figures from the top 40 countries were usually posted by TM on a quarterly basis and six months after the last quarter posting.

For many years, I regularly checked for the latest “Malaysia tourist arrivals by country”, and my comments would be written and sent to the media for publication. DOSM was very professional as impending reports would be announced in advance and released on the scheduled dates.

From 2021, instead of releasing the annual DTS in June the following year, DOSM switched to posting the surveys earlier on a quarterly basis. By Dec 18 this year, the performance of domestic tourism for the third quarter had already been published.

On the other hand, TM switched to “Visitor Performance to Malaysia” with the latest posting still showing figures from Jan-Apr.

At the end of May, figures from Jan-Mar were posted, and later until April. After that, there was no further update. And we are now approaching the end of the year.

With no new inbound figures available, the comments below are limited to domestic tourism. There were 69.7m, 73.8m, and 72.6m domestic visitors for the first, second, and third quarter respectively, with a monthly average of 24 million.

If the average number is the same for the last quarter, then the total for the year would be 288 million domestic visitors. In comparison, there were 239 million domestic visitors in 2019, the year before the pandemic.

DOSM identified that there were 25.2m, 27.4m, and 26.7m domestic tourists in the first, second, and third quarter respectively. The rest of the visitors were excursionists who did not spend overnight away from home and were on a day trip, returning home the same day.

Tourists are vital for paid accommodation suppliers such as licensed hotels and short-term rental accommodation (STRA) providers. But the majority of domestic tourists stay at free accommodation provided by family members, relatives, and friends.

Hence, tourism expenditure is more important than headcounts. Domestic visitors, which include tourists and excursionists, spent RM29.4b, RM29.2b, and RM29.8b in the first, second, and third quarter respectively, with a monthly average of RM9.8 billion.

If the average expenditure is the same for the last quarter, then the total for the year would be RM117.8 bil. In comparison, domestic tourism expenditure in 2019 was RM103.2 bil. While domestic tourism has clearly done well, as supported by figures, inbound tourism appears to be murky.

Figures released by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture have been limited to visitor arrivals without tourist arrival numbers. For many years, only tourist arrival figures were posted in “Malaysia tourist arrivals from the top 40 countries”. In later years, a separate table was added for excursionist arrivals.

In any case, both tourist arrivals and excursionist arrivals were obtained from the Immigration Department.

As the system is computerised, the figures can be totaled up at the press of a few buttons after the end of each month. It remains a mystery why arrival numbers are released many months later.

Many countries (and also Sabah and Sarawak), release visitor or tourist arrival figures early, which helps industry players to know better how well inbound tourism is performing.

If this remains an assumption, how ready are we for Visit Malaysia 2026, which is just a week away? 

YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT,

- Focus Malaysia.

When the family loses its sacred place, the nation pays the price

 

A NATIONAL reflection for all concerned Malaysians for 2026: Malaysia recorded 190,304 marriages in 2024—slightly higher than in 2023. There were 60,457 divorces in 2024, an increase of about 4.1% from the roughly 58,095 divorces in 2023.

The Crude Marriage Rate (CMR) remained around 5.6 per 1,000 population, while the Crude Divorce Rate (CDR) rose to 1.8 per 1,000 population.

While more couples tied the knot in 2024 compared with the previous year, divorces also rose indicating that marriage remains common but that marital dissolution continues to be a significant social pattern.

Malaysia often speaks of family as the foundation of society. Yet rising divorce rates, domestic conflict, elder neglect, and fractured parent-child relationships tell a more troubling story.

The institution of the family is no longer experienced as sacred by many Malaysians—not because families are rejected, but because their moral meaning has quietly eroded.

This is not merely a private tragedy. It is a national concern, touching the very principles upon which Malaysia was founded.

The Rukun Negara, a moral promise not merely a slogan which begins with belief in God and ends with morality and courtesy. Between these pillars lie loyalty, constitutional supremacy, rule of law, and good behaviour.

(Image: iStock)

These principles were never intended to remain abstract ideals. They were meant to be lived first in the family, the smallest and most influential unit of the nation.

When children no longer learn respect at home, no law can manufacture it later. When care for elders weakens in families, social welfare systems are strained. When trust collapses within households, it eventually collapses in institutions.

The weakening of family life is therefore not a cultural footnote—it is a failure to translate national values into daily practice.

The Constitution protects the family, but cannot sustain it alone. The Federal Constitution safeguards marriage, parenthood, equality, and the dignity of the individual. It recognises the family as essential to social stability, but constitutions can only protect frameworks, they cannot cultivate character.

No article of law can teach patience between spouses, no statute can legislate compassion between generations, no court can replace moral education learned at the dining table.

When families weaken, societies turn increasingly to enforcement—policing behaviour rather than nurturing conscience. This is costly, ineffective, and ultimately unsustainable.

One of the defining features of our time is the shift from viewing relationships as covenants of responsibility to contracts of convenience. Marriage becomes conditional on satisfaction. Parenthood is weighed against personal freedom. Elder care is outsourced rather than honoured.

Economic pressures and modern life are often blamed, but hardship alone does not destroy families. What erodes them is the absence of a shared moral vision—a sense that family life is not merely personal, but a public good.

This concern is echoed in global reflections on social development, including the 19 March message of the Universal House of Justice which observes that societies suffer when institutions lose their moral and spiritual foundations and are reduced to instruments of individual interest.

Malaysia rightly upholds rights, but rights, when detached from responsibility, can quietly undermine the very relationships that make freedom meaningful.

A society that emphasises “my choice” without “our duty” risks producing citizens who are legally protected but morally unanchored. The family is where this balance must first be learned—where freedom is guided by care, and authority is tempered by love.

Without this balance, individualism does not lead to dignity—it leads to fragmentation.

(Image: Malay Mail)

Malaysia is a religious nation, yet religiosity does not automatically translate into strong families. When faith becomes an identity marker or political symbol rather than a force for ethical transformation, it loses its power to sustain daily life.

The values proclaimed in public must be practised in private. The sacredness of family is preserved not by slogans, but by virtues of justice, patience, consultation, equality, and service—lived consistently at home.

The family need to be reclaimed as a moral Institution, restoring the sacred place of the family, that does not mean returning to rigid traditions or imposing control. It requires a moral renewal, aligned with the spirit of the Rukun Negara and the Constitution.

Marriage need to be practiced as partnership, not dominance, valuing care work as nation-building labour. Teaching children ethics alongside achievement, treating elders as reservoirs of wisdom, not burdens. The family is the nation’s first school of citizenship. If it fails, no curriculum reform, enforcement mechanism, or policy innovation can fully compensate.

Malaysians need to have a national reflection. The question before Malaysia is not whether families still exist—they do. The question is whether we still see them as sacred trusts essential to our shared future.

If the Rukun Negara is to remain a living covenant and the Constitution a moral compass rather than a legal manual, the family must once again be recognised as the heart of national integrity. When the family weakens, the nation fractures quietly.

When the family is strengthened, the nation heals—patiently, enduringly, and from within. 

K.Tamil Maran ( KT Maran)
Seremban, Negri Sembilan

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 

 Focus Malaysia.

Batik, Malaysia’s economic and ESG asset

 

IN Malaysia, sustainability is often framed around renewable energy, carbon reduction, green technology and climate risk management.

However, one of the country’s most valuable sustainability assets lies not in advanced technologies or heavy industries, but in a heritage craft shaped by wax, fabric and generations of artisans.

Batik, long celebrated as a cultural emblem, is increasingly recognised as a strategic economic and sustainability resource that sits at the intersection of heritage preservation, community development, entrepreneurship and modern ESG expectations.

Batik’s value extends far beyond its aesthetic appeal. Its production process represents a longstanding knowledge system that promotes continuity across generations, strengthens community identity and reflects a distinctly Malaysian cultural expression.

Within global frameworks such as the SDGs, Integrated Reporting and the IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards, this cultural continuity is recognised as social and human capital, positioning batik as a repository of economically and socially relevant intangible assets.

From a business and economics perspective, batik sustains a longstanding ecosystem of small enterprises, family workshops, social entrepreneurs and creative businesses. Many of these enterprises operate in rural communities, where alternative sources of income are limited.

Income from batik-making supports local economic stability and reduces urban migration, functioning as a heritage-based multiplier that sustains livelihoods and cultural practices.

(Image: NSTP)

Batik has also aligned naturally with Malaysia’s policy direction on micro-entrepreneurship and SME development, particularly where women’s economic participation is concerned.

A large proportion of batik artisans, dye specialists, canting artists, fabric designers and seamstresses, are women who have built careers and home-based enterprises around this craft.

For many low-income families, particularly in Kelantan and Terengganu, batik production has been a pathway to socioeconomic mobility. This positions batik as a socially sustainable industry, one that contributes directly to Malaysia’s inclusive development agenda.

Economically, batik carries significant potential if treated as a premium heritage product rather than a commodity. Global consumers increasingly value authenticity, provenance, craftsmanship and ethical production, especially within the growing sustainable fashion market.

Malaysia has the cultural legitimacy to position its batik as a high-value artisanal textile, similar to how India has positioned its handloom sarees or how Japan markets its indigo-dyed fabrics.

However, such repositioning requires deliberate branding, industry coordination and long-term investment, particularly in design innovation and international trade promotion.

The industry remains under-capitalised, with many artisans unable to access financing for technology, eco-dye facilities or digital expansion.

A structured mix of soft loans, heritage sustainability grants and impact investment could help scale the sector in line with Malaysia’s creative economy ambitions.

(Image: Bernama)

As sustainability reporting evolves, accounting increasingly recognises impacts on people, culture and communities alongside environmental metrics, with IFRS S1 emphasising entity-specific matters such as human, intellectual and social capital. This shift opens the door for heritage industries like batik to articulate their contributions to long-term value creation.

Although many batik enterprises operate as micro-SMEs, simple indicators such as water use, dye management, artisan working conditions, apprenticeship training and design documentation can demonstrate sustainability. When articulated clearly, these measures help show how cultural enterprises generate measurable social value.

Sustainability accounting is particularly relevant to batik because its value lies largely in non-financial assets.

Batik embodies human capital through tacit skills developed over years, social capital through shared identity and trust among artisans as well as intellectual capital in motifs and design traditions. These intangible resources are not captured in financial statements but are central to the industry’s long-term viability.

Preserving these forms of capital is a critical component of heritage sustainability. As older artisans retire and younger Malaysians migrate to urban centres in search of higher incomes, the continuity of batik craftsmanship becomes increasingly fragile.

The long-term sustainability of the industry depends on whether the next generation views batik not merely as a cultural artefact, but as a viable economic opportunity.

This requires formal training pipelines, apprenticeships and entrepreneurship programmes that present batik production as a modern career path supported by digital tools, design technology, e-commerce platforms and a globalised creative economy.

Environmental sustainability also forms a significant part of the discussion. Although batik production is often regarded as a low-impact activity due to its small-batch processes and handcrafted methods, it still faces challenges related to water consumption and dye waste.

(Image: Unsplash/Mahmur Marganti)

Many workshops rely on synthetic dyes that require proper wastewater management and small-scale producers may lack the resources to invest in treatment systems.

At the same time, universities and social enterprises have been advancing research into natural dye chemistry, rainwater utilisation, solar-assisted wax heating and other innovations that could support cleaner production.

These developments demonstrate that environmental sustainability in batik is both achievable and economically advantageous, especially as international consumers increasingly demand transparency in supply chains.

The future of batik as a sustainable heritage industry depends on integrating cultural preservation with business strategy.

This requires collaboration among accountants developing heritage reporting tools, financiers recognising cultural entrepreneurs, policymakers strengthening certification frameworks and universities supporting research, training and innovation.

When these elements come together, batik becomes more than an artistic tradition. It becomes a strategic economic sector capable of contributing to Malaysia’s ESG leadership, community well-being and global cultural identity.

As Malaysia deepens its commitment to sustainability, the country must expand its definition of what sustainability means. Cultural heritage is not merely sentimental. It is economic capital, social capital and intellectual capital.

Batik is one of Malaysia’s clearest examples of how heritage can serve as a sustainability pathway. With the right business models, financial support and accounting frameworks, batik can evolve into a national sustainability flagship and a symbol of how tradition and modernity can coexist to create lasting value for generations to come. 

Dr Dalilawati Zainal is a senior lecturer at the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business and Economics, Universiti Malaya.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia.

Skyrocketing durian prices may leave next-gen Malaysians alien to ‘King of Fruits’

 

DURIAN lovers are rejoicing at the apparent drop in price of the King of Fruits.

In view of apparent oversupply, even premium varieties such as Musang King are experiencing a dip in prices.

If social media to be believed, bargains are to be had with 10-12 fruits costing just RM100. Previously, it was not uncommon for a single – albeit large – fruit to command such a premium price.

This fluctuation in price for this most lusted of local fruits was noted on Facebook by Fat Deadpool who opined that this was due to demand and supply.

“There is some truth in the saying that durian prices have changed now. Musang King used to be sold at a high price, to the point that some people thought the price was unreasonable,” observed the self-proclaimed marketing consultant in a Facebook post.

“But when there is a lot of supply, the season is long and demand is not as strong as before, the price will indeed go down – such is the law of the market.”

Added the poster wryly: “Traders who used to keep prices high have to follow the market trend, otherwise the stock won’t move.

“Prices go up when people compete but the opposite happens when the market is saturated. Consumers are the winners today; traders simply have to come up with new strategies. The market is always changing. Today it’s cheap, tomorrow it’s uncertain.”

The post has already generated 3,5K likes, 1.2K comments and 334 shares at the time of writing which isn’t really a surprise given it is about a fruit that is loved passionately by locals.

But will this enduring love of the durian be passed on to future generations given prices can be a touch ridiculous?

One commenter surmised (with the help of ChatGPT) that when prices get too high, cost-conscious parents will avoid buying durians.

The upshot is young children who are not exposed to the charms of the King of Fruit are unlikely to develop a taste for it. In the long term, durians will lose its premium tag and be just like any other fruit.

Some commenters concurred with the observation as it was noted more youngsters these days seem to avoid durians, unlike previous generations where absolutely nobody would say ‘no’ to the thorny delights. The long-term consequence is a shrinking market for this veritable local delight.

It was also pointed out that the older generation of “hardcore durian lovers” aged between 30 and 40 of age have to curtail their consumption due to the risk of diabetes.

Meanwhile, those in the 10-20 age group have less affinity for durians with some even throwing up upon their nostrils coming into close proximity of the fruit.

One commenter argued that local durian farmers were sacrificing the future of the industry for the sake of short-term gain by their exorbitant pricing.

If the focal point for local producers is the lucrative export market, then this may very well be the future – future generation Malaysians who can’t bear the pungent smell of durians. A dystopian future indeed. 

 - Focus Malaysia