Malaysia boasts one of Southeast Asia's most vibrant economies.
With a population of over 25 million, its multi-ethnic,
multi-religious society encompasses a majority Muslim population
and an economically powerful Chinese community.
Just under half of Malaysian travellers are free independent
travellers (FIT). Malaysians enjoy the self-drive opportunities
offered by New Zealand as a holiday destination. With fewer seats
for group travel becoming available from Malaysia, FIT travel is
becoming more popular.
Malaysia is also a strong market for incentive travel, with
groups travelling in New Zealand's off-peak and shoulder
Traditional peak travel seasons are mid November to December,
and the last week of May until the first week of June. A shorter
peak period also exists around the Chinese New Year period, either
in January or February, and around Hari Raya and Deepavali in
October and early November.
New Zealand recorded over 38,000 visitor arrivals from
MalaysiaYE April 2012a 61 per cent increase from 2010. Half
travelled outside the main regions, and just under half were repeat
visitors. This considerable growth was driven by Air Asia X
direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Christchurch. These
services ceased in May 2012 and some decline in market performance
There is a growing trend among Malaysians towards booking travel
online, especially airfares, and comparing land costs. Travel
agents, however, remain the primary mode of booking for travel
packages, while travel fairs are popular research opportunities for
Tourism New Zealand manages trade development activities in
Malaysia from its Singapore office.
Published monthly, the International Visitor Arrivals (IVA)
survey measures international visitor arrivals into New Zealand by
month and by year. For more information on IVA visit Statistics New Zealand.
Published quarterly, the International Visitor Survey (IVS) is
carried out by the Tourism Strategy Group. Research is based on
around 5,200 interviews conducted with international visitors as
they depart from Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch airports. For
more information on IVS visit the Economic Development Group's website.
For more information including tourism research and data, policy,
and publications please see the Ministry of Business, Innovation and