December 2023

A global leader in online travel services, Trip.com Group, reflects on the dynamic landscape of travel over the past year, offering insights into the trends set to shape the journey in 2024.

China’s Border Reopening Sparks Global Travel Surge

Travel was greatly boosted by a wave of Chinese travellers with the opening of China’s borders and, a pent-up demand for overseas travel. Trip.com data unveils a significant rise in outbound travel bookings, showcasing a six-fold increase compared to 2022.

The data also revealed that Chinese travellers have a strong interest in visiting Southeast Asia, with many of these countries topping the list of preferred outbound destinations in 2023: Thailand; Japan; South Korea; Singapore; and Malaysia.

The thriving interest in outbound travel is expected to persist in 2024. Besides outbound travel, China’s inbound travel is also showing steady signs of recovery.

In 2023, Trip.com saw four-digit growth in visitor numbers as compared with the same period in 2022 – surpassing 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

AI Takes Centrestage in Predictive Planning for 2024

Leading this transformative change is TripGenie launched in 2023 is an advanced AI travel assistant that is integrated into the Trip.com mobile app.

Leveraging on cutting-edge large language model technologies, TripGenie has evolved into a personalised travel companion and is, reshaping the way we plan our journeys, from crafting bespoke itineraries, enabling instant bookings and delivering lightning-fast responses to user queries.

Trip.com introduced AI-powered curated lists to enhance the booking experience for users such as:  Trip.Best that recommends the best travel options; Trip.Deals that shows top flights, accommodations, and travel deals; and Trip.Trends which features the most popular travel topics and events based on user searches.

These dynamic compilations are finely tuned to user preferences derived from real-time data, providing a sneak peek into the future of travel planning in 2024.

Music Festivals and Theme Parks Lead the Way for 2024’s Global Attractions

According to Trip.Com Theme parks specifically, are poised for a stellar rise, having witnessed an impressive 65 percent increase in bookings in 2023 compared to 2019 levels.

In the arena of live entertainment, concerts and music festivals since Trip.Com’s venture into the concert category in 2023, Trip.com has already witnessed positive outcomes. The category of event ticket has become one of the most sought-after products on its platform.

The Rise of Sustainable Travel and Event Tourism in 2024 

According to Trip.com Group’s latest ESG report, more than 16 million customers have opted for low-carbon travel options, signaling a rising interest in eco-friendly exploration.

Trip.com Group’s low-carbon hotel standard initiative was launched in 2023 with promising results with over 1,500 partners shortlisted as low-carbon hotels – this suggests that sustainable accommodation is set to become a major trend.

Event tourism, encompassing concerts, festivals, and sporting events, is poised to gain momentum in 2024 with the eagerly anticipated 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The ticket + hotel category is expected to be a sought-after product, underscoring the growing importance of events in shaping travel choices.

As the story of travel evolves in the year ahead, Trip.com Group stands at the forefront, poised to guide adventurers into an era marked by exploration, innovation and sustainability.

Nominated alongside 18 major players in the international business events industry Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, took the coveted title of World’s Leading Meetings and Conference Centre 2023 at the World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony held in Dubai.

MITEC also holds the distinction of being Malaysia’s only such venue to win both the WTA World and WTA Asia Awards for Leading Meetings and Conference Centre in the same year.

“This remarkable achievement reflects how MITEC is setting the global benchmark in the sector, as well as the strength of the Malaysian business events industry. The commitment of the entire MITEC team serves as an inspiration to us all,” said Mr. Graham E. Cooke, Founder, World Travel Awards.

According to Ms. Mala Dorasamy, MITEC’s chief executive officer the achievement, is a testament to the unwavering dedication and passion of every staff member of the MITEC team, members of the board, clients, service providers and stakeholders.

MITEC is considered to be Malaysia’s largest trade and exhibition centre with 52,000 square metres of exhibition and convention space. This year has been the busiest year for the centre from its stint, as Malaysia’s first mega vaccination centre in 2021 to its reopening in 2022 hosting, over 160 events with more than three million visitors in 2023.

At the same time, MITEC has contributed an estimated RM1 billion in economic impact to Malaysia, as well as generate employment opportunities across various sectors.

The hosting of diverse events at the centre, has led, to a surge in demand for skilled professionals, creating jobs in event management, hospitality, logistics and supporting sectors.

This year too, MITEC has generated 550,000 casual work hours and RM7.2 million in wages towards the gig economy sector benefitting mainly university students who are able to gain first experience in event management.