PUTRAJAYA, June 10 — Foreign visitor arrivals under the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign are on a strong trajectory, with 17.5 million tourists recorded as of May, says Tourism, Arts, and Culture Deputy Minister Chiew Choon Man.
In pursuit of the campaign’s target of 47 million visitors, the ministry, through Tourism Malaysia, has organised various promotional programmes both domestically and abroad to attract more tourists to Malaysia.
“We are also intensifying promotions through collaboration with local stakeholders such as travel agents, key opinion leaders, and the media to attract visitors to our country,” he told the media after launching the Visit Malaysia 2026 Special Registration Number (NPI) series today.
When asked about the challenges posed by global supply chain disruptions and rising transportation costs to the VM2026 campaign, Chiew said several initiatives had been discussed with airlines and tourism agencies to address the issues.
“We are working hard in the country and also abroad so that we can continue the momentum in attracting tourists into our country,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Chiew highlighted the need to further promote Malaysia's destinations and unique experiences.
“If this sector succeeds and tourist arrivals increase, it will have a significant impact on the national economy, especially for traders, hoteliers, hawkers, restaurants, transport operators, as well as retail outlets and shopping centres. All segments of society will benefit,” he said.
During the event, the deputy minister launched the special registration number series ‘V 1 MY’ to ‘V 9999 MY’ in conjunction with VM2026.
Chiew said the sale of the registration number series is a joint initiative with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to generate additional funds for the campaign.
“This special NPI series has the potential to attract those who value premium registration numbers and encourage Malaysians to support the country’s tourism industry through the purchase of these numbers,” he said.
JPJ will open bidding for the special registration number series from Saturday (June 13) to Wednesday (June 17).
