PUTRAJAYA (July 15): Tourists have spent more on shopping in the first quarter of 2015 (1Q15) than on anything else, taking over the top spot from accommodation, according to a survey by Tourism Malaysia.

Tourist expenditure on shopping for 1Q15 increased 10.8% to RM4.9 billion year-on-year (y-o-y), contributing 28.1% of the total tourist receipts for the first quarter, compared to 26.3% from accommodation.

“Accommodation and shopping remained as the two top components of tourist expenditure for the first quarter, constituting 54.4%,” Tourism Malaysia said in a statement released today.

However, the total tourist receipts for 1Q15 recorded a decrease of RM1 billion or 5.4% y-o-y, reflecting the 8.6% drop in tourist arrivals y-o-y.

The drop in arrivals also prompted hoteliers to offer more competitive rates, which contributed to longer tourist stays and higher tourist expenditure on shopping.

The average length of stay (ALOS) of foreign tourists increased from 5 nights to 6.7 nights y-o-y.

Tourism Malaysia cited the favourable exchange rate for foreign tourists as one of the factors contributing to the positive performance.

The average per capita expenditure of foreign tourists recorded a 3.5% growth to RM2,700 year-on-year, with Saudi Arabia, New Zealand and Australia registering the highest average per capita expenditure.

Four markets also showed an increase of over 20% in average per capita expenditure, namely Japan, Thailand, Singapore and Canada.

The average per diem expenditure of foreign tourists dropped 22.8% for the first quarter as a result of their longer stay in the country.

Shopping remained the second major activity engaged by tourists in the first quarter at 72.7%, with the top five shopping areas for foreign tourists being Bukit Bintang, George Town, Kota Kinabalu, Petaling Street and Johor Bahru.

Clothes and apparels constituted 49.6% of items purchased by tourists, followed by handicraft and souvenirs at 45.5%, shoes at 21.7%, cosmetics at 16.4%, and chocolates at 13.3%.