Shopping was the biggest contributor to the hike in the country’s domestic tourism receipts, which saw a total of RM64.1 billion recorded in 2022.

According to the department of statistics, the sum was a 248% increase from the RM18.4 billion in domestic tourism receipts recorded in 2021.

Of the RM64.1 billion, shopping contributed RM24.94 billion, where Selangor dominated with RM3.85 billion, followed by Kuala Lumpur (RM3.71 billion) and Sarawak (RM2.33 billion).

The second highest component was food and beverage, followed by automotive fuel (for five states) and transportation (for Labuan).

In a statement today, Chief Statistician Uzir Mahidin said 171.6 million domestic visitors were recorded in 2022 compared with 66 million visitors in the previous year, an increase of 160.1%.

“All states also recorded positive growth in terms of volume and total receipts after the pandemic of Covid-19,” he said.

Selangor recorded the highest domestic tourism receipts with RM8.73 billion, followed by Kuala Lumpur (RM7.73 billion), Sarawak (RM5.43 billion) and Pahang (RM5.32 billion).

Uzir also said domestic tourism in Malaysia experienced a significant surge to record 54.5 million visitors for the second quarter of this year.

This represented an increase of 20% compared with the same quarter last year, he said.