International Students Inclination towards Hospitality Services during Holiday in Malaysia

Malaysia is gaining worldwide recognition as the preferred destination for tertiary and higher education which gives boost to the tourism industry. Foreign Students at various public and private institutions of higher learning increased significantly over the past five years. International students from China and Indonesia, as well as Middle East, North Africa and West Asia are significant source of international tourist in Malaysia. This paper presented a general overview of Malaysia tourism sector as well as examined international students‘ hospitality services consumption experience and pattern during their holidays in Malaysia. The paper aimed to gauge the international students travelling and expenditure patterns as well as their preferences towards the services used during their holidays in Malaysia. The findings support previous researchers demonstrating a strong influence of peer reference groups on service purchase decisions, specifically tourism destination choice. The findings of international students‘ satisfactions can lead to development of strategies to promote tourism destination in Malaysia among international students or the youth sectors. Policy makers, service providers can focus their efforts to provide quality service and facilities that international tourists perceived as being important in determining their overall service quality of accommodations, travelling arrangements and F&B sectors as these sectors are contributing significantly to the Malaysian economy.