Malaysia ranks fourth in sustainability awareness in Asia

SHAH ALAM - The 2025 Sustainable Tourism Survey has ranked Malaysia as the fourth most sustainability-conscious tourism market in Asia.

The study, conducted by digital travel platform Agoda, revealed that nearly 80 per cent of Malaysian travellers consider sustainability aspects when planning their trips this year, surpassing the overall Asian traveller average of 68 per cent.

Many Malaysian travellers were found making more responsible choices to reduce their environmental impact, with nearly 24 per cent opting to travel during off-peak seasons to help ease congestion.

Additionally, 19 per cent choose accommodations with sustainability certifications, while 18 per cent actively support small and medium-sized businesses as part of efforts to preserve local culture.

Agoda’s Director for Malaysia and Brunei Fabian Teja said the trend was highly encouraging as it reflected the growing awareness of sustainability among Malaysians, ultimately making a positive impact on the destinations they visited.

“It is truly encouraging to see more Malaysian travellers becoming aware of the importance of sustainability, and Agoda is always ready to support these travel goals.

“With sustainability being a key focus of the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign, it is clear that more people in the country are making responsible choices,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.

To further strengthen these efforts, Fabian said Agoda offered the Eco Deals programme, which not only provides attractive discounts on eco-friendly accommodations but also contributed to local conservation initiatives.

He said for every booking made under the programme, one US dollar would be donated to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conservation projects to protect animals and habitats across Asia.

“Since the recent launch of the 2025 edition of Eco Deals, it has offered discounts of up to 15 per cent on selected hotels across 10 Asian markets, including Japan and South Korea.”