How Malaysians are rewriting Eid travel
During Eid, growing number of Malaysians are swapping traditional homecoming for hotel staycations and overseas trips
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) – For decades, Eid in Malaysia has followed a familiar script: highways jammed with cars heading to home towns, kitchens filled with the smell of simmering rendang and days spent visiting relatives.
But that script is being rewritten in the face of urbanization, smaller households and changing lifestyles.
During Eid, also called Hari Raya, a growing number of Malaysians are swapping the traditional homecoming for hotel staycations and overseas trips, a shift reflected in surging travel searches, double-digit booking growth and packed resort destinations from Langkawi to Seoul.
Malaysian Association of Hotels chief executive Isaac Mohan Raj said Langkawi is seeing stronger demand, with hotels in Pantai Cenang reaching more than 80% occupancy and those in Kuah town around 60% full for the Hari Raya period of March 20 to 22.
Hotels on the peninsular east coast are also performing well, with Terengganu reporting around 70% occupancy and Kelantan exceeding 60% — both higher than usual. He attributed part of the surge to an additional school holiday announced by the government.
Airbnb data showed Malaysian searches for Ramadan 2026 jumped over 200% year on year, while Hari Raya searches rose nearly 50%.
Domestically, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh and Melaka are key destinations, with growing interest in Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perak.
Internationally, top searched destinations include Tokyo, Osaka and Perth. More than 80% of festive searches were for group or family travel, and interest in entire home rentals climbed to 95%.
Airlines are also reporting solid demand.
Malaysia Aviation Group CEO Bryan Foong said festive bookings have risen by double digits year on year, with international travel growing faster than domestic routes and passenger load factor expected to increase approximately 11%. AirAsia Malaysia general manager Captain Fareh Mazputra said year-on-year growth on certain Fly-Thru routes from Singapore has reached 130%.
The unusually tight sequence of holidays in 2026 — with Chinese New Year, Ramadan and Hari Raya falling within weeks of each other — may have encouraged Malaysians to combine travel plans into a single extended trip.
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