KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's domestic tourism rose 23.8 percent year on year in the second quarter by recording 68.4 million domestic visitors, official data showed Friday.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) said in a statement that domestic tourism expenditure reached 28.1 billion ringgit (6.72 billion U.S. dollars) in the second quarter, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 28.6 percent and a 16.9 percent rise from the previous quarter.
DOSM Chief Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the performance of Malaysia's domestic tourism in 2023 has been exceptionally strong, and the growth in domestic tourism receipts reflects the positive impact of the full reopening of economic activities.
"However, compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019, total domestic arrivals were still 10.6 percent lower, and tourism receipts declined by 17.7 percent," he noted. ■