From rendang in Seoul to Langkawi staycations: How Malaysians are rewriting Hari Raya travel

KUALA LUMPUR – For decades, Hari Raya in Malaysia has followed a familiar script: highways jammed with cars heading back to home towns, home kitchens filled with the smell of simmering rendang and days spent visiting relatives in an open-house marathon until one’s baju raya feels fit to burst.

But that familiar script is being rewritten in the face of urbanisation, smaller households and changing lifestyles, say observers.

During Aidilfitri, a growing number of Malaysians are swopping “balik kampung”, or homecoming, for hotel staycations and overseas trips.

The shift is reflected in surging travel searches during this period, double-digit booking growth and packed resort destinations from Langkawi to Seoul.

According to Malaysian Association of Hotels chief executive Isaac Mohan Raj, the island resort of Langkawi, for example, is seeing stronger demand. Hotels in Pantai Cenang are reaching more than 80 per cent occupancy, while those in Kuah town are around 60 per cent full for the Hari Raya period of March 20 to 22.

“One reason could be the recently announced extra school holiday,” he told The Straits Times, referring to the government school break that was brought forward from March 19, after March 18 was declared an additional holiday.

On the peninsular east coast, hotels in Terengganu are reporting occupancy of about 70 per cent, while those in neighbouring Kelantan have exceeded 60 per cent, both higher than usual figures for the same period of March 20 to 22. The year 2025 saw an average occupancy rate of around 60 per cent, with Langkawi recording lower figures.

Travel platforms have also highlighted how demand during the festive season is rising, based on search trends.

According to data from short-stay booking platform Airbnb, searches by Malaysian travellers for Ramadan 2026 jumped over 200 per cent year on year, while Hari Raya searches rose nearly 50 per cent for check-ins between March 20 and 22, 2026.

Domestically, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Ipoh and Melaka have emerged as key staycation destinations, with growing interest in states such as Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Perak during Hari Raya.

Beyond staycations

International travel is also popular during the festive stretch. Top outbound destinations searched include Tokyo and Osaka in Japan, as well as Perth, Australia.

More than 80 per cent of festive searches were for group or family travel, while interest in entire home rentals climbed to 95 per cent.

The unusually tight sequence of holidays in 2026, with Chinese New Year, Ramadan and Hari Raya falling within weeks of each other, may have encouraged people to combine their travel plans into one.

Airlines also report solid demand. Mr Bryan Foong, CEO of Airline Business at Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), said that bookings during the festive period have risen by double digits from a year earlier, with international travel growing at a faster rate than domestic routes.

“Passenger load factor is expected to register an increase of approximately 11 per cent year on year,” he told ST on March 4. “Major cities such as Paris remain among the top choices for travellers, supported by strong demand across both leisure and business segments.”

Other destinations for MAG, which includes Malaysia Airlines and Firefly, are also seeing growth in demand: Da Nang in Vietnam, Cebu in the Philippines, Chiang Mai in Thailand and Trivandrum in India.

Captain Fareh Mazputra, general manager of budget carrier AirAsia Malaysia, said: “We are seeing notable year-on-year growth on certain routes, especially Fly-Thru routes from Singapore like Singapore-Tawau, Miri-Singapore and Kota Bharu-Singapore, with an overall year-on-year increase of 130 per cent.”

AirAsia’s Fly-Thru is a connecting flight service that lets passengers travel between two flights via a hub such as Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok without clearing immigration or collecting baggage, which is checked through to the final destination.

“Malaysians are contributing significantly to this growth, especially on Fly-Thru international routes via Singapore,” Capt Fareh told ST.

However, external forces may shape how far Malaysians travel.

Airlines globally are reviewing fares as jet fuel prices climb amid the US-Israel war in Iran, which has disrupted energy supply routes in the Middle East. Some have even diverted flights.

Carriers in the region have already begun introducing fuel surcharges, potentially nudging ticket prices higher in the months ahead.

While Malaysia Airlines has temporarily suspended its Doha services until March 20, all other services, including Jeddah, Madinah, London and Paris, continue to operate as scheduled. Malaysia said on March 12 that some routes may be suspended if the rising fuel cost trend continues.

New traditions

While many Malaysians still return to their home towns for Hari Raya, others are adapting the holiday to suit changing family circumstances.

Ms Batrisyia Najwa Azalan, a 26-year-old PhD student in Selangor, said her family first experimented with a Hari Raya staycation in Kuala Lumpur in 2023.

As she no longer has grandparents to anchor the balik kampung tradition, her family’s celebrations have become smaller and more flexible.

Sometimes they stay in hotels in Johor Bahru while visiting relatives. In 2025, they made a day trip across the border to Singapore during the festive break.

“It is not the typical Raya we see in advertisements, where everyone goes back days earlier to prepare. Ours is more intimate,” she said. For 2026, she plans to go to Singapore again for a day trip for Hari Raya.

Others are taking the festival even farther afield.

Ms Iman Abdul Rais, a 28-year-old business development associate, will leave Kuala Lumpur on March 18 to spend Hari Raya in Seoul, South Korea, where she and a group of friends will attend a concert by K-pop boy band NCT Dream.

But they will still make it traditional.

“We will cook rendang and nasi himpit at our Airbnb. And we are planning to wear baju kurung to the concert,” she said.

For public relations practitioner Nur Abdullah, 50, travelling during the holiday is about emotional space. The Muslim convert said Hari Raya has felt different since her husband died several years ago.

“Celebrating with his family sometimes feels complicated. There can be a bit of drama and politics, and I don’t always feel like I fully belong,” she said.

For 2026, she plans to leave Kuala Lumpur the day before Hari Raya to go on holiday with her daughter in Melaka before flying to Seoul.

“I want Raya to feel happy. Sometimes a change of scenery helps you create your own traditions,” she said.

Dr Aiedah Khalek, a senior lecturer at Monash University Malaysia who studies religion and contemporary social life in Malaysia, suggested that the evolving ways Malaysians celebrate the festival reflect broader social changes.

With urbanisation, smaller households and changing lifestyles mean that the practice of balik kampung is gradually changing for some. Travelling during the festive season may also align with work and school holidays.

“Rising household incomes may have contributed to greater access to travel and leisure activities. At the same time, individual circumstances, such as family structure, work commitments and personal priorities also shape how celebrations are practised,” she said.

“What matters most is whether the festival’s social values remain: forgiveness, generosity and maintaining family ties.”