With airfares staying high even as the jet fuel crisis fades, Malaysian travellers are adapting in different ways. Travel Weekly Asia speaks to Harinder Kaur, CEO of Paradigm Travel, on the growing appeal of regional Asia, affordable premium travel and expedition cruising wins for Malaysia’s outbound market.
How are Malaysian travellers responding to today's travel environment?
Malaysians are travelling, but demand is increasingly shifting away from long-haul journeys and Middle East transit routes towards shorter-haul regional travel within Asia. Strong demand is being seen for destinations such as Japan, China, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India while Central Asia’s “Stans” countries such as Kazakhstan are emerging as rising favourites among Malaysian travellers.
What's catching travellers' attention at the moment?
Europe remains part of the travel picture, particularly for incentive groups, but many departures are now being pushed to the year-end or even into next year rather than in the immediate months ahead.
Expedition cruising is something that we want to continue to push. There’s a market in Malaysia that’s really looking for this – these are people who have travelled quite a bit and their bucket list is to see Antarctica.
There is growing opportunity in the affordable premium segment, both within Malaysia and across the region. Many Malaysian resorts have been affected by the decline in European arrivals and have responded by pivoting towards the domestic market, through more competitive pricing and special offers. Similarly, we are seeing strong enquiry from travellers willing to pay a bit more for elevated experiences in destinations such as Bali and Vietnam. This presents to us a strong opportunity to grow and expand the affordable premium segment.
“There is growing opportunity in the affordable
premium segment – travellers pay a bit more and get a lot more than usual.”– Harinder Kaur, CEO, Paradigm Travel
Has higher airfares changed the booking conversation?
The current high airfares, fuel surcharges and reduced flight frequencies have definitely reshaped travel leisure behaviour. Previously, travellers first decide on a destination before looking at airfares. But now, travellers are looking at flight availability and pricing first before deciding on a destination.
Airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Turkish Airlines and Malaysia Airlines are still considered, although rising fuel surcharges remain a concern. The Gulf carriers have dropped their prices and restored their capacity, but we leave it to clients to decide their preferred routing options.
Meanwhile, Air India has emerged as an increasingly viable transit option for Malaysian travelling to Europe via Mumbai and Delhi – many travellers have given positive feedback on its service and premium economy product. Aggressive marketing efforts in Malaysia, combined with competitive pricing and stronger trade support, have also helped raise the airline’s profile in the market.
_This article was first published in Travel Weekly Asia’s April-June 2026 issue. _Click here to read more from this issue.