PUTRAJAYA, Aug 7 — The key socioeconomic indicators for some states improved in 2022, buoyed by a 248.1 per cent rise in domestic tourism expenditure reaching RM64.1 billion versus RM18.4 billion in 2021, according to the State Socioeconomic Report 2022 released by the Statistics Department Malaysia .
Mohd Uzir said the reopening of all economic activities, particularly tourism-related industries, helped strengthen the country’s economy. Domestic tourists rose 337.1 per cent to 65.1 million against 14.9 million in 2021, with Pahang recording the highest growth at 511.8 per cent with 7.8 million arrivals from 1.3 million in 2021, elevating Pahang’s GDP growth in arts, entertainment and other private services to 96.7 per cent, Mohd Uzir said.
The increase in income also influenced household expenditure patterns with Malaysian households spending RM5,150 per month in 2022 on average versus RM4,609 in 2021.Other states that recorded household expenditures which exceeded the national average were Kuala Lumpur at RM7,823, Selangor at RM6,770, Melaka , Johor and Penang , he said.
This was driven by an increase in the expenses related to the food and beverage group at 5.8 per cent; restaurants and hotels at five per cent; transportation at 4.7 per cent and household furnishings, equipment and maintenance at 3.5 per cent.