KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 — Selangor is optimistic it would attract nine million tourists during Visit Selangor Year (VSY) and Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), even amid the West Asia conflict.
State executive councillor for local government and tourism Dato’ Ng Suee Lim said the global crisis is expected to slightly impact tourist arrivals, especially those from the West and West Asia, but proactive steps have been formulated to ensure the travel sector stays resilient.
He added that among the main strategies is to shift promotional focus to Asian markets with more potential, including Japan, China, and Southeast Asian nations.
Efforts are also underway to draw tourists from Australia to balance the inadequacies from certain markets.
“We do expect slight implications from this crisis, but we are optimistic. With continued promotions and more targeted aims, we are confident we can balance inadequacies from certain markets.
“We will intensify Visit Selangor Year and Visit Malaysia 2026 campaigns with tours to several countries like China, Indonesia and Australia, including around Southeast Asia,” he said when met at MATTA Fair at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre here yesterday.
On whether West Asian tourist arrivals would decrease, Ng said the government believes the decline could be supplemented with tourist arrivals from other markets.
He added that the approach is backed by various promotional initiatives including international tours and the strengthening of tourism segments such as health and gastronomy travel.
“In a war situation there would definitely be effects, but with continued promotions and accurate targets, we can replace one inadequate tourist group with that from another market,” Ng said.
