KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is the third most popular destination for tourists to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year.
According to digital travel platform Agoda, Malaysia ranks just behind Japan and Thailand.
The platform said Bangkok is the most favoured international destination for one of the region's biggest holidays of the year.
"Booking data shows that Singapore, Brunei, China, Indonesia and South Korea as the top inbound markets to Malaysia, marking China's return as a top-five source market for the first time since 2019.
"The five most popular destinations visited within Malaysia are Kuala Lumpur, followed by Johor Baru, Kota Kinabalu, Malacca and Penang," said Agoda in a statement.
Although officially celebrated on Feb 10, the Lunar New Year holiday is extended to a long weekend in many cities across Asia and week-long celebrations for China, Japan (Spring Holiday) and Vietnam (Tet).
"The holiday, also known as Chinese New Year, is traditionally one of the peak travel period for tourists from mainland China.
"For the first time since 2019, China is back in contention, ranking third in source market overall and securing a spot in the top-five inbound lists for Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam."
Malaysian travelers are also exploring diverse destinations abroad, with Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea being the top choices.
"Among the highly sought-after international destinations for Malaysian travelers are the Thai cities of Hat Yai, Bangkok, and Krabi, followed closely by Bali and Seoul."
Agoda's associate vice president, Southeast Asia Enric Casals said the Lunar New Year period is a significant time for travel, and this year is no different.
"Since 2019, hotels and destinations have diversified the appeal of their markets with visa-free travel and other incentives. That has made them less reliant on one market and more appealing to new travelers. But the travel industry will no doubt be looking forward to welcoming back more travelers from China this year."
Agoda said the most outbound travelers hail from markets like South Korea, Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Japan while the most visited markets by these international tourists include Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, showcasing a wide array of cultural and leisure options.
Cities like Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, and Osaka remain appealing, underscoring the region's rich urban and cultural diversity.
