KUALA LUMPUR, June 29 — Tourism Malaysia has shifted its tourism promotion focus to more stable markets, including ASEAN, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, North Africa, and Oceania, as a proactive measure to mitigate the impact of the conflict in West Asia on the country’s tourism industry.
Tourism, Arts, and Culture Deputy Minister Chiew Choon Man said the move was aimed at ensuring that the targets for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) remain on track despite geopolitical uncertainties in West Asia.
The strategy's effectiveness is reflected in current performance, with visitor arrivals from the Asia-Pacific region rising 35 per cent to 15.2 million between January and May this year.
“This increase will help offset some of the loss of visitors from affected markets, particularly West Asia, while also having the potential to boost visitors’ length of stay and spending in Malaysia,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Chiew was responding to Kuala Kedah MP Ahmad Fakhruddin Fakhrurazi's supplementary query on Tourism Malaysia’s contingency plans to redirect its promotional efforts to alternative markets following the conflict in West Asia.
Aside from focusing on major cities in its target markets, Tourism Malaysia is also expanding its promotional efforts to second- and third-tier cities to attract more international visitors to Malaysia.
He added that the ministry continues to strengthen domestic tourism, which remains the backbone of the country’s tourism industry, through various initiatives.
“As part of efforts to sustain the momentum of domestic tourism, Tourism Malaysia is implementing initiatives under the Jom Cuti-Cuti Malaysia campaign.
“The campaign aims to encourage Malaysians to continue travelling within the country by offering affordable and quality tourism packages, accommodation, and travel experiences,” Chiew said.
The initiative is being carried out in collaboration with industry players, including tourism product operators, hotels, and airlines, among them the Doce Group hotel network (13 hotels), as well as a joint campaign with Batik Air for the June-July period this year.
