KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 — Malaysia has seen a growing “durian tourism” trend, with international visitors, particularly those from China, increasingly building short breaks and day trips around peak durian seasons and well-known producing areas, which appeal is both culinary and experiential.
Travellers want to taste varieties at source, learn how the fruit is graded and visit orchards that have become destinations, a report by BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions revealed today.
“While this is not a new phenomenon, with regional tourists such as Singaporeans travelling to Malaysia for ‘durian trips’ for decades, this trend has been amplified by social media,” it said.
On Chinese social media platforms, such as Douyin, the appeal of travelling to Malaysia specifically to eat durians has been magnified by how-to guides and the visa-free arrangement discussed earlier.
Durian’s status as a must-try regional food experience has also been received particularly well in China, with the market now the world’s top importer of durian in value terms, accounting for around 95 per cent of global import demand, it said.
In 2025, China imported US$7.5 billion (US$1 = RM3.93) worth of the fruit, with Thailand and Vietnam as the two largest source markets, BMI said in a report titled: “Malaysia Leads ASEAN Tourism Market With Growing Premiumisation Opportunities.
“While this has increased the availability of durians in China, Malaysian durians are considered to be top quality and often cost significantly more in China,” it said.
Over the year, China imported US$4 billion and 941,183 tonnes of fresh durians from Thailand. Vietnamese imports accounted for US$3.4 billion and 920,578 tonnes.
Finally, China imported US$37.2 million and 3,064 tonnes of fresh durians from Malaysia. For Thailand and Vietnamese durians. this works out to US$4,239 per tonne and US$3,739 per tonne respectively.
“For Malaysian durians, this figure is US$12,138 a tonne, highlighting the significant higher price tag that Malaysian durian commands to the point where many Chinese consumers are willing to make a specific trip to Malaysia for the greater quality and authenticity at a lower price tag,” said BMI.
As for the international tourist arrival as a whole, the report said that it has continued to normalise since the pandemic, with inbound arrivals recovering strongly from 2023, as regional travel rebounded and airlines rebuilt capacity into KL International Airport (KLIA) and key leisure gateways.
Malaysia has the largest international tourism sector in ASEAN in terms of the number of international arrivals, at 42.2 million in 2025.
Neighbouring Asian countries remain the core demand base, supported by short-haul affordability and frequent connectivity from markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, China and India.
“The introduction of visa-free entry for Mainland Chinese and Indian nationals has helped stimulate demand in a price-sensitive segment and aided the recovery of group tours and family travel.”
Recovery from Europe has also improved, as long-haul schedules returned and Malaysia’s entry requirements remain straightforward, while North American volumes have tended to lag due to longer journey times and more limited direct connectivity versus regional alternatives.
Air connectivity has been a key enabler of this rebound. Kuala Lumpur’s role as a hub, anchored by Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia, has supported both point-to-point tourism and onward travel into secondary destinations, said the report.
Capacity growth has benefitted established leisure markets such as Langkawi and Penang, while East Malaysia has also gained from improved links through Kota Kinabalu, which functions as a practical gateway for Sabah’s nature and island tourism circuits, it added.
It said Malaysia’s government and regulatory approach to international tourism has centred on restoring volumes from core short-haul markets while improving the ease of entry and the overall visitor experience.
“Tourism Malaysia’s Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign is a focal point for coordinated marketing, airline partnerships and product packaging, with the aim of converting regional demand into longer stays and higher spend.”
Immigration policy has also combined targeted visa facilitation, border-process digitalisation and destination promotion, alongside longer-running measures that support tourism-linked retail and higher-yield leisure segments.
All of these initiatives have certainly been successful, it said.
