RED-EYE flights are getting less popular among people travelling for pleasure, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing said.

He said tourists are now looking to fly at convenient times, chartered flights and other quality-for-money air services.

Tiong said tourists’ needs and preferences have changed post-pandemic.

He said prior to the pandemic, tourists were more price-conscious.

“But now, more… have come to value the comfort of the entire process and journey,” he wrote on Facebook.

He said business class bookings are on the rise.

“It is not difficult to see that the market for travel is still a huge one, with more and more people willing to pay more for premium tourism products and services,” he added.

Tiong, who is the prime minister’s special envoy to China, said he has met with Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) officials with a view to working together to maximise the number of Chinese tourists travelling to Malaysia.

On Thursday, he met with representatives of China’s biggest tour group, Utour Group Co Ltd of Beijing.

Tiong said his dialogue with Utour was “towards identifying ways to better promote our tourism products in an updated and more comprehensive manner”.

“Instead of bundling many destinations into frame, they will work towards marketing a deeper experience of tourism products and services in a single country,” he said.

Tiong said he has invited the firm to a study tour of Malaysia under the guidance of Tourism Malaysia. – April 8, 2023.