Penang State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy, YB Wong Hon Wai, has criticised the 2024 domestic tourism survey released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), calling it inaccurate and unreflective of Penang’s actual tourism performance.

Wong disputed the survey’s ranking, which placed Perak ahead of Penang in domestic tourist numbers. He argued the report was based on a small sample size and a flawed methodology that relied on household questionnaires instead of actual tourism site data or hotel stays.

“Only 204 enumeration blocks were sampled in Penang, which is not representative of the state’s tourism sector,” he said, adding that Tourism Malaysia recorded 5.2 million domestic hotel guests and over three million international tourists in Penang in 2024.

He also criticised DOSM’s broad definition of “domestic tourists,” which included day-trippers and family visits, stating that such visits offer minimal economic contribution and can distort tourism impact.

Wong concluded that while DOSM’s data may indicate general travel trends, it should not be used to evaluate tourism performance, particularly for high-impact destinations like Penang.