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Tour Business Targeting Malaysian Customers? Build a Bilingual Thailand-Malaysia Website

January 2, 2025
Southern Whale

The Challenge: Great Tours But Few Malaysian Customers

A Songkhla tour operator realized:

  • Songkhla has beautiful attractions (beaches, temples, nature)
  • Distance from Malaysia = only 4 hours （from Kuala Lumpur）
  • Malaysia has 35 million people, middle-to-high income

Yet problem: “Only 5% of our customers come from Malaysia”

Reason: No Bilingual Website, no Malaysian payment options, no localized content

Solution: Build a Bilingual Tourism Website

Part 1: Website Structure

Don’t just add a language toggle

Wrong approach:

www.site.com/en (English)
www.site.com/th (Thai)

Better approach:

www.site.com       (Default - Thai)
www.site.com/ms    (Malaysian - optimized)
www.site.com/en    (English)

Or with subdomains:

th.site.com        (Thai)
ms.site.com        (Malaysian)
www.site.com       (English/Default)

Part 2: Content Localization (Not Just Translation)

A. Tours & Packages

Thai Version:

"2 Days Songkhla Discovery"
- Wat Chai, Ko Yo Island, Samila Beach
- Minimum 6 Participants
Price: ฿2,500 per person

Malaysian Version:

"2 Hari Songkhla Discovery"
- Kuil Chai, Pulau Ko Yo, Pantai Samila
- Jumlah Peserta Minimum 6 orang
Harga: RM 250 per orang / USD 55

Why different?

  • Malaysia uses RM currency, not baht
  • Malaysian tourists expect clear group minimums
  • Use Malay terms (Wat = Kuil, Ko = Pulau)

B. Payment Methods

Thai:

  • Bank Transfer
  • PromptPay
  • 7-Eleven

Malaysian:

  • Maybank Transfer
  • FPX (most popular in Malaysia)
  • Credit Card (Visa/Mastercard)

C. Currency & Pricing

Thai: ฿2,500 per person
Malaysian: RM 250 per person (≈ ฿2,300)
English/USD: $55 per person

Pro Tip: Make Malaysian prices slightly more competitive to boost conversions.

D. Contact & Support

Thailand Number: +66-XX-XXX-XXXX Malaysia Number: +60-X-XXXX-XXXX (if possible) Or: “WhatsApp/Line Available”

Thai Support Team: Thai-speaking staff Malaysian Support Team: Malay or English-speaking staff

Part 3: SEO for Each Market

Thai SEO

  • Keywords: “ทัวร์สงขลา”, “เที่ยวสงขลา 2 วัน”
  • Local: Thai Google My Business, local directory listings

Malaysian SEO

  • Keywords: “Paket Wisata Songkhla”, “Lawatan Songkhla 2 hari”
  • Local: Malay Google My Business listings
  • Backlinks from Malaysia travel websites

Meta Tags

<!-- Thai Page -->
<meta name="description" content="ทัวร์สงขลา 2 วัน...">
<meta property="og:locale" content="th_TH">

<!-- Malaysian Page -->
<meta name="description" content="Paket Wisata Songkhla 2 hari...">
<meta property="og:locale" content="ms_MY">

Part 4: Marketing Channels

Thailand

  • Google Ads (Thai keywords)
  • Facebook Ads (Thai audience)
  • TripAdvisor Thailand
  • Instagram (Thai hashtags)

Malaysia

  • Google Ads (Malay keywords: “Pakej Percutian”, “Wisata”)
  • Facebook Ads (Malay audience, Johor/Selangor targeted)
  • Klook Malaysia
  • Agoda Malaysia
  • Instagram Malaysia (#PaketWisata)

Results: +150% Growth from Malaysian Market

After 6 months:

  • Malaysian Bookings: Increased from 2-3 per month to 8-9 per month
  • Malaysian Revenue: +150% (฿400,000-600,000/month)
  • Website Traffic from Malaysia: Increased from 5% to 18% of total
  • Malaysia Paid Ad CPC: Decreased 35% （organic growth took over）
  • Average Booking Value: +12% （Malaysian packages command premium）

Best Practices: Bilingual Tourism Website

1. Clear Currency Conversion

Make it easy for customers:

Price: ฿2,500 = RM 250 = $55 USD

Don’t make Malaysian tourists do the math.

2. Mobile-First Design

  • 85% of Malaysian travelers book on mobile
  • Responsive design is non-negotiable

3. Payment Gateway Integration

  • Malaysian tourists prefer FPX （instant bank transfer）
  • Minimum required: Maybank, Credit Card, FPX

4. Currency Symbols & Localization

NOT: "฿2,500 / RM 250"
BUT: Separate pages for each market:
     Thailand page: ฿2,500
     Malaysia page: RM 250

Action Plan

If your tour business wants to expand to Malaysia:

  1. Create /ms subdirectory on your website
  2. Write Malaysian version of tours (localize, don’t just translate)
  3. Add Malaysian payment methods: FPX, Maybank
  4. Set Google Business Profile as “Available for Malaysian customers”
  5. Add Malaysian backlinks by contacting Malaysian travel blogs
  6. Launch Facebook Ads targeting Johor and Selangor states
  7. Hire Malaysian support for WhatsApp customer service

Southern Whale helps Songkhla tour businesses expand into Malaysia through bilingual website design and localized marketing. Request your free consultation today.

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