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The Bahrain Grand Prix, which was canceled in April due to the Middle East war, will be held in Malaysia in early October, Formula One organizers announced on Sunday, AFP reported.

Travel platform Trip.com Malaysia said international flight bookings to Kuala Lumpur for arrivals between Oct. 1 and 3 increased 106% year on year after the July 26 announcement, reflecting strong overseas demand for the race weekend, Business Times reported.

Accommodation demand climbed even faster.

Hotel bookings for stays between Oct. 1 and 4 soared 1,614% in Sepang, home to the Sepang International Circuit, which will host the race, and 2,525% in neighboring Dengkil.

The surge also propelled Sepang into Trip.com’s top five most-searched hotel destinations.

The return of Formula 1 has also boosted interest in accommodation, particularly near the Sepang International Circuit, The Star newspaper reported citing Malaysian Association of Hotels president Christina Toh.

“Malaysia’s hospitality industry is well positioned to welcome the influx of visitors, with a well-established hotel network, ample room capacity across the Klang Valley, and strong transport connectivity,” Toh said.

She added that while hotels closest to the circuit are expected to see the highest occupancy rates, the wider Klang Valley has ample capacity to accommodate the anticipated influx of visitors.

Nadia Omer, CEO of online travel agency app AirAsia MOVE, said flight searches to Kuala Lumpur on the platform jumped 12% week-on-week for the race weekend, and hotel interest surged rapidly within 48 hours of the announcement, Business Times reported.

Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s third-richest country by GDP per capita behind Singapore and Brunei, received 21.12 million international visitor arrivals in the first half of 2026, a 2.5% increase from a year earlier, retaining its position as Southeast Asia’s most-visited country.

In 2025, Malaysia welcomed 42.2 million international visitors, an increase of 11.2% from 38 million in 2024.