MALAYSIA especially its capital Kuala Lumpur has been in the spotlight for years as the most sought after tourist destination thanks to the bustling city’s blend of modern architecture, rich cultural heritage and diverse gastronomy.
In 2024, Malaysia surpassed the land of smiles, Thailand as the most visited country in the Southeast Asian region, recording 38 million foreign tourist arrivals.
Leading travel research platform, Tripadvisor recently ranked the capital city as the second most popular travel destination globally among 25 countries in the platform’s list of top trending destinations.
The number one spot went to Osaka, Japan.
Tripadvisor had compiled its data for the rankings from reviews and opinions from its community over a 12-month period.
Tripadvisor touted Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia’s cultural hub, mainly focusing on the fast paced city’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers while noting the Sri Mahamariamman temple as the oldest Hindu temple in the country.
The travel research website also recommended shopping in Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market (Pasar Seni).
According to Tripadvisor, the capital city’s top picks aside from the Petronas Twin Towers are the Thean Hou Temple, Bukit Tabur and Batu Caves.
Other destinations listed in the ranking are Buenos Aires (Argentina), Manama (Bahrain), Lima (Peru), Medellin (Colombia), Auckland Central (New Zealand), Kyoto (Japan), Seoul (South Korea) and Casablanca (Morocco).
These places were listed in the top 10 category.
While the remaining 15 places in the ranking are Jeju Island (South Korea), Johannesburg (South Africa), Luzon (Philippines), Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), Bogota (Colombia), Hong Kong, Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Singapore, Doha (Qatar), Banff (Canada), Giza (Egypt), Santiago (Chile), Island of Malta (Malta) and finally, Nairobi (Kenya).
