Tourism Malaysia is working with local airlines to bring down domestic airfares, aiming to boost intrastate travel as domestic tourism continues to carry much of the industry’s growth.
Mohd Roslan Abdullah, senior director of the promotional board’s domestic and events division, said discussions with local carriers are already underway, with plans in motion to lower fares and encourage more Malaysians to fly within the country. He acknowledged that travel trade stakeholders have raised concerns over steep airfares, a situation compounded by higher oil prices tied to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
“We noticed that demand for domestic travel remains robust despite the higher air fares and rising living costs,” Roslan said. “But we are doing all we can in trying to bring down fares.” He made the comments while officiating the Star-Karnival Cuti-Cuti Malaysia 2026 programme at Sunway Carnival Mall, an event he said has shown strong growth since its last edition in Sabah, where trade participants secured RM1mn in sales.
The numbers back up his read on demand. Domestic travel climbed to 74.7mn Malaysians in the second quarter of this year, a 7.2% rise from 69.7mn over the same period last year. Tourism receipts followed the same trajectory, growing from RM29.2bn to RM32.8bn year-on-year in the same quarter. For the first half of the year as a whole, domestic tourist numbers reached 151.6mn, up from 143.7mn in the first half of last year.
Roslan also addressed the region’s ongoing haze problem, calling it an unfortunate phenomenon affecting the wider region rather than Malaysia alone. He said Malaysia’s health minister is visiting Indonesia to push for more effective intervention, including an end to open burning, and that tourism authorities are coordinating closely with the Health Ministry on accurate data and remedial steps. Measures include regular updates to the Air Pollution Index to keep tourists informed, alongside advice to wear face masks and limit outdoor activity during periods of heavy smog. Roslan said the tourism board intends to be transparent about the haze situation given its direct bearing on public health.
Taken together, Roslan said the figures confirm that domestic tourism remains the backbone of Malaysia’s tourism industry as the country looks to sustain momentum into the second half of the year.