Europe tops Malaysians’ longhaul holiday destination list this June

Scandinavia is high on the list for Malaysian travellers this June; Copenhagen, Denmark pictured

The upcoming June school holiday, which coincides with the Hari Raya festival this year, as well as the strengthening of the ringgit, is driving demand for longhaul travel to Europe, revealed outbound agents in Malaysia.

Mita Lim, managing director, Ice Holidays, said demand for group tours to Europe during the school break showed double-digit growth from the same period in 2017.

Scandinavia is high on the list for Malaysian travellers this June; Copenhagen, Denmark pictured

“We’re also seeing more multigenerational travellers, and more women friends travelling together,” said Lim. Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Scandinavia, are selling well this year, he noted.

Desmond Lee, group managing director of Apple Vacations & Conventions, expects an increase in sales of at least 30 per cent this June, compared with the same month in 2017.

More than 60 per cent of Apple Vacations’ European tour departures in June are already sold, Lee told TTG Asia, with the Balkans, Central Europe and Scandinavia being top favourites.

With forward bookings to Europe made during the recent MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur showing just a marginal improvement over last year, Cooper Huang, CEO of Malaysian Harmony Tours & Travel, intends to spur sales by spending more on advertising and promotions after the general election on May 9.

Meanwhile, Ice Holidays is aggressively marketing its tours by holding a one day in-house fair for its partner retail agents, participating in the various MATTA Fairs organised in Kuala Lumpur and various states, as well as increasing its spending on consumer advertisements, shared Lim.

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