There are quite a few travel apps for Android and iOS devices out there created by travel magazines and websites. Now there is a new app to the market that has been aptly named “Malaysia Trip Planner”, which is the official travel app created by the Malaysian tourism department. This app is part of the “Malaysia, Truly Asia!” campaign.

App Features

This application can be downloaded for free by visitors from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store onto their Android and iOS smartphones. It is a complete visitors’ guide to Malaysia, offering information that you will be hard pressed to find elsewhere. You will be able to find information on local attractions, description of places, must-visit locales, event schedules, etc. on the palm of your hands with this app.

You can also organize travel plans into itineraries so that all your travel plans are in one centralized, easy-to-access location. This app offers in-depth and detailed information on the landmarks in the country and you can easily share this information on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

Tourism department officials in Malaysia think that this app will help tourists and travelers discover more in the country. This app aims to enhance the travel experience that visitors have in Malaysia.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The app has a pleasing user interface and offers comprehensive overviews about travel destinations in Malaysia. The “Nearby Attractions” tool is also useful to find places to visit in proximity, as it will use GPS.  The descriptions of each place listed via the app are concise and informative.

Cons

However, the are some limitations with using this app as a traveler in Malaysia though. First, the app does not offer many photos of each attraction/destination (typically one for each). Second, the app has no user generated input, which many times can be a more insightful than the professionally published material.  Third, the app’s “What’s On” is not the best source of events happening in Malaysia.  For example, in this month, August 2013, there is a big music festival happening in Sepang International Circuit (Good Vibes Festival) , which is not featured in the app. Lastly, the Malaysia Trip Planner app requires an internet connection.  If you’re an overseas tourist, this may prove to be inconvenient, as you definitely don’t want to incur pricey data charges, which means you’ll want to find a WiFi connection for this app.

Fortunately, there is plenty of ways to access WiFi in Malaysia.  You can read our article about 5 Ways to Get Free WiFi in Malaysia here.

Do you have any great apps to recommend for traveling in Malaysia? Post a thought in the comments below. Also, stay in touch with us, Leaping Post, by registering for our free e-newsletter here.