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Study reveals travel preferences between Malaysians, Singaporeans

More than half of 2,000 respondents intend to travel again in the next three months, with Singaporeans looking to relax and locals seeking adventure.

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While Singaporean travellers prefer to relax, Malaysians tend to explore as much as they can. (Bernama pic)

More than half of Singaporeans and Malaysians (55%) who have travelled since the start of the year will be travelling again in the next three months, according to a study conducted by Yahoo and Southeast Asia consumer research company Milieu Insight.

The survey of 1,000 respondents each from Singapore and Malaysia reveals travel plans and patterns for the second quarter of 2023.

Since the start of the year, 61% of respondents who have travelled overseas for leisure have been to Southeast Asia, the top travel destination among 70% of Singaporean travellers.

That said, travellers’ appetite for new experiences have not waned: in the next three months, 46% plan to visit Southeast Asia, followed by East Asia (38%), and Australia/New Zealand (20%).

The study reflects intriguing differences in travel preferences between the neighbouring countries: while 61% of Singaporeans prefer to relax and take things slow for their next trip, Malaysians are quite the opposite, with 65% of them preferring to explore as much as they can.

The latter also tend to be more money-conscious, with 83% saying they have a travel budget to stick to, compared with 68% in Singapore.

Sightseeing (70%) and shopping (46%) are the top travel activities in both countries, although these skew towards Singaporeans.

Malaysians, on the other hand, show more interest in other activities such as arts, history and cultural immersion (33% vs 17% in Singapore), and – a rising travel trend – environment, climate and wildlife conservation (29% vs 11% in Singapore).

They are also more inclined to join local activities (80% vs 58% in Singapore) such as culinary workshops and immersive cultural experiences.

Of those who make holiday arrangements themselves, 74% of respondents do so via travel booking platforms, which are especially popular among 25- to 34-year-olds in Singapore (83%) and Malaysia (64%).

After discounts and promotions (57%), the convenience of making multiple bookings at once (46%) is one of the top motivators driving travellers to use these platforms.