Ringgit and GST take bite out of travel bug

Kuala Lumpur

FEWER Malaysians are packing their bags for holidays overseas, as daily living expenses soar on the back of the country's new consumption tax and the shrinking ringgit, the head of a travel association has said.

Tourists are not flocking to Malaysia in droves either, despite getting more bang for the ringgit; instead, they are heading for neighbouring destinations which have laid out the welcome mat with intensive advertising and promotional campaigns.