Southeast Asian Tourism Revival: Kuala Lumpur Among Airbnb’s Hottest Destinations in 2022

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Kuala Lumpur, April 18th – The revival of Southeast Asian tourism has brought tremendous opportunities to the local community, with Kuala Lumpur being named one of the hottest Southeast Asian cities on Airbnb in 2022.

In addition to Kuala Lumpur, other popular Southeast Asian destinations include Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Phuket in Thailand.

According to internal data from Airbnb, the number of booked nights in Southeast Asia doubled in 2022 compared to 2020. The majority of international guests or travelers booking nights came from the United States, followed by Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, and South Korea.

“Moreover, the number of solo travelers in Southeast Asia increased by 2.6 times year-on-year, while the number of group travelers grew by more than double. In 2022, long-term bookings of more than 28 days increased by over 2.5 times year-on-year.”

Additionally, the top travel routes for Singaporean tourists are Malaysia, followed by Thailand and Indonesia.

Nathan Blecharczyk, Airbnb’s co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer, said that Southeast Asia, with its tropical climate, delicious local cuisine, stunning scenery, and rich cultural heritage, has always been a popular destination for travelers from around the world.

Domestic and regional travel are making a strong comeback.

New survey data commissioned by Airbnb shows that over 80% of Malaysian respondents are optimistic about the recovery of Southeast Asia’s tourism industry.

91% of Malaysian respondents believe that the revival of the tourism industry will benefit local communities and the national economy. Nearly 40% of Malaysian respondents said they are looking forward to traveling more frequently to Southeast Asia in the future.

In terms of local holiday home search data, the number of searches for Thailand’s Songkran Island increased by more than 310% year-on-year; searches for the Philippines’ March to April summer travel season surged nearly 400%; during Ramadan, home searches in Malaysia increased by nearly 600%; and Indonesia saw an increase of over 500%.