Pahang was Malaysia’s most popular domestic tourism destination in 2025, drawing 11.0 million local visitors and overtaking both Selangor and W.P. Kuala Lumpur in the state rankings. 

The finding comes from the Department of Statistics Malaysia’s latest Domestic Tourism Survey [PDF], which also showed Malaysians took 332.2 million domestic trips and spent RM121.3 billion travelling within the country last year. The figures point to a growing domestic tourism sector, with spending rising 13.6% year-on-year.

Spending Breakdown By Category

Shopping made up the largest share of what domestic visitors spent during their trips, at 36.9% of total expenditure. Food and beverages came second at 16.1%, followed by automotive fuel at 13.5% and accommodation at 10.7%.

Fuel costs are another major component of domestic travel spending. Private vehicles accounted for 91.8% of all domestic trips, which means petrol costs, tolls, and parking fees are a recurring and often underestimated part of what any domestic getaway actually costs. These fall under the survey’s automotive fuel and transportation categories, and together they represented more than one in five ringgit spent.

For overnight stays, the average trip cost RM658 in 2025, up from RM637 the year before. Day trips averaged RM221, roughly unchanged year-on-year. That’s a gap of more than RM400 per trip, which adds up quickly across a family.

Pahang Leads The State Rankings

Pahang received the highest number of domestic tourist arrivals in 2025, at 11.0 million, edging ahead of Selangor (10.6 million) and Perak (10.4 million). W.P. Kuala Lumpur and Johor rounded out the top five at 10.1 million and 9.8 million respectively.

Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, and Teluk Cempedak appear among Pahang’s top five visited destinations. That combination of highland resorts and beach stays also helps explain why many visitors choose to stay overnight rather than make a day trip. 

Most Trips Don’t Involve A Hotel

Day trips made up 67% of all domestic tourism trips in 2025, up slightly from 66.8% in 2024. Of the one-third that were overnight stays, 56.2% of tourists slept at a relative’s or friend’s home, making that the single most common accommodation type by far. Hotels came in second at 23.1%.

A significant portion of domestic travel spending goes towards shopping, food, and fuel rather than accommodation. With more than half of overnight travellers staying with relatives or friends, it’s often the cost of getting around, eating out, and shopping that makes up the bulk of a trip’s budget.

Tax Relief On Holidays

If you’re planning to travel within Malaysia this year, certain tourism-related expenses may help reduce your tax bill. Budget 2026 provides up to RM1,000 in tax relief for qualifying domestic tourism spending, including entrance fees to tourist attractions and cultural programmes.

According to LHDN [PDF], eligible attractions include theme parks, zoos, museums, national parks, marine parks, and geoparks, while fees paid for cultural and arts programmes also qualify. Accommodation and transport expenses, however, are not included.

The survey also shows that domestic travel remains popular across a broad range of income groups. Households earning between RM1,001 and RM5,000 per month accounted for more than half of all domestic visitors in 2025, while those earning below RM3,000 made up roughly one in four travellers.

By age group, adults aged 25 to 39 represented the largest share of domestic visitors at 35.1%, followed by those aged 40 to 54 at 25.1%. The findings suggest that domestic travel continues to be accessible to many Malaysians, pointing to a habit that spans income groups. 

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