During this ongoing super peak summer season, the travel trade in Malaysia has observed that not only is the Indian traveller demographic generally skewing younger, but demand is also evolving.
Inbound agents reported that travellers this summer are in their 30s, 40s and 50s, with some are travelling to Malaysia with their young children. This contrasts with pre-pandemic times, when travellers were predominantly middle-aged and seniors.
More Indian travellers are looking for adventurous itineraries, such as visiting Taman Negara National Park, pictured
Arokia Das Anthony, executive director of Essence of Asia, commented that many leisure Indian travellers are demanding for more activities in their programmes, and that they do not want more free and easy time.
“We are getting more requests for soft adventure programmes such as visiting Taman Negara National Park or experiencing Mossy Forest at Cameron Highlands,” he said, adding that Indian travellers are seeking more in-depth experiences, such as if they were travelling with young children, they would request for educational experiences like mangrove tours, or even a stop at the Geopark Discovery Centre when visiting Langkawi.
Zahira Tahir, founder and CEO of Universal Holidays, observed that the younger set of Indian travellers were more willing to spend on quality experiences.
“They book four- and five-star hotels, opt for private tours and are willing to try the local food and non-Indian cuisine as compared to the older generation who would stick to Indian cuisine, even while on holiday. I recently had guests who booked Marini’s on 57 (an Italian restaurant known for its panoramic city views) and Nobu Kuala Lumpur (a celebrity chef restaurant),” she shared.
Zulkifli Rahman, director of sales and marketing at The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, noted that younger Indian travellers were willing to splurge on luxury accommodation throughout their trip.
He elaborated: “In the past, travellers from India were generally older and they used to split their stay between two accommodation of different star categories, reserving the last night or two in a luxury hotel such as ours. Now, we are seeing them spend their entire stay in Langkawi at our hotel.”
During this ongoing super peak summer season, the travel trade in Malaysia has observed that not only is the Indian traveller demographic generally skewing younger, but demand is also evolving.
Inbound agents reported that travellers this summer are in their 30s, 40s and 50s, with some are travelling to Malaysia with their young children. This contrasts with pre-pandemic times, when travellers were predominantly middle-aged and seniors.
Arokia Das Anthony, executive director of Essence of Asia, commented that many leisure Indian travellers are demanding for more activities in their programmes, and that they do not want more free and easy time.
“We are getting more requests for soft adventure programmes such as visiting Taman Negara National Park or experiencing Mossy Forest at Cameron Highlands,” he said, adding that Indian travellers are seeking more in-depth experiences, such as if they were travelling with young children, they would request for educational experiences like mangrove tours, or even a stop at the Geopark Discovery Centre when visiting Langkawi.
Zahira Tahir, founder and CEO of Universal Holidays, observed that the younger set of Indian travellers were more willing to spend on quality experiences.
“They book four- and five-star hotels, opt for private tours and are willing to try the local food and non-Indian cuisine as compared to the older generation who would stick to Indian cuisine, even while on holiday. I recently had guests who booked Marini’s on 57 (an Italian restaurant known for its panoramic city views) and Nobu Kuala Lumpur (a celebrity chef restaurant),” she shared.
Zulkifli Rahman, director of sales and marketing at The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, noted that younger Indian travellers were willing to splurge on luxury accommodation throughout their trip.
He elaborated: “In the past, travellers from India were generally older and they used to split their stay between two accommodation of different star categories, reserving the last night or two in a luxury hotel such as ours. Now, we are seeing them spend their entire stay in Langkawi at our hotel.”