KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, June 5 (Bernama) -- Malaysians are starting to travel again, as the world opens up. According to Traveloka, flight searches for overseas destinations on the travel superapp between April and May 2022 recovered to as high as the same period in 2019. Overall, international flight issuance has grown by 48 percent on average, since the announcement of border reopening on 24 March.

"We are observing new patterns involving overseas travellers in Malaysia. In 2019, frequent fliers were very much at ease with overseas travels. Their booking journey was straight-forward. They search for the best deals, book their flights and accommodation on the app and fly.

"At present, travellers are still uncertain of COVID-19 requirements overseas. Some are also unsure of what to do when they travel to an overseas destination once again after more than two years of staying on ground and shifting their focus on other aspects of life. On top of that, the pandemic may have also taken a toll on some of these travellers' expenses," said Angelica Chan, Country Manager, Traveloka Malaysia.

These patterns, she said, are not hindrances toward travelling.

Chan added, Traveloka has seen a positive response in travel appetite as those outside of the country can now easily visit Malaysia, and local Malaysians can more conveniently travel abroad without having to quarantine upon return. What is needed now is to make information more accessible to the travellers apart from appealing to their desire to explore the world once again with deals and discounts.

Cognisant with this new reality, Traveloka collaborated with its travel superapp partners in the flight, hotel and attraction segments on a GOverseas: International Travel Fiesta. This programme is organised to offer Malaysians deals of up to RM1,335 off flight tickets, hotels and attractions between 31 May and 6 June 2022.

"With innovation being a large part of Traveloka's DNA and the fact that Malaysia has a 88.48 percent smartphone penetration rate, it makes good sense to reignite the wanderlust spirit among Malaysians digitally. We are enabling travellers to gain inspiration on what they can do overseas and learn about COVID-19 requirements apart from discovering good deals on the travel superapp and our website," she said.

Chan added that to match the emerging pattern among travellers, Traveloka will be highlighting deals of top international destinations and travellers can expect to snag even greater deals during the GOverseas Fiesta's daily flash sale sessions at 9pm - 12am.

The travel superapp is also looking forward to rewarding customers with combinable flight coupons of up to RM25, when they participate in its special in app mission, GOverseas missions and complete them. Livestreams are also lined up, especially for popular destinations among Malaysians such as Indonesia, South Korea and Thailand. Besides that, travellers can also find out more about COVID-19 requirements of their intended destination under Traveloka's Important Notices tab.

On fuelling Malaysians' thirst to travel again, one of Traveloka GOverseas: International Travel Fiesta's flight partner, Malaysia Airlines, is excited to be part of Malaysians' exciting adventures again. "As demand for overseas travel regains momentum, we have added new destinations to our extensive network, with our most recent commencement of direct flights to Doha, Qatar, and an upcoming route to Haneda, Japan. We have also increased flight frequencies from Kuala Lumpur to London, New Delhi, Kathmandu, Colombo, and Chennai. As the national carrier, we remain a trusted gateway into Malaysia, welcoming visitors to explore the many wonders that our country has to offer. Most importantly, we have put in place comprehensive COVID-19 health and safety measures, to ensure our passengers can continue to #FlyConfidently", said Lau Yin May, Group Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer, Malaysia Airlines.

On hosting Malaysians abroad, Ivan Ting, Chief Operating Officer, Swiss-Garden International said that Swiss-Garden International has been operating in Malaysia for 31 years and is no foreigner to Malaysian culture. After two years of business limitations, the chain is once again looking forward to hosting Malaysians abroad with the best local hospitality through this homegrown brand, as well as providing unwavering commitment in setting higher benchmarks to achieve service excellence for the international market.

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