SHAH ALAM, July 15 — Malaysia has welcomed 17.5 million international visitors between January and May, marking a 3.4 per cent increase compared with the corresponding period last year and showing encouraging progress under the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) said the government has continued to strengthen the tourism sector despite growing global uncertainties and the ongoing West Asia conflict, which has affected travel patterns and aviation capacities.
Responding to a question from Mohd Azizi Abu Naim (Independent-Gua Musang), the ministry said it has diversified tourism markets and products to reduce the impact of external challenges.
“Among the measures taken are more aggressive promotions in relatively stable markets across the Asia-Pacific region, including China, Russia, Central Asia and Australia,” it said in a written parliamentary reply dated July 13.
Azizi asked for VM2026 updates and MOTAC’s measures against the West Asia conflict’s impact, which would affect the number of tourist arrivals.
MOTAC said it is also boosting tourism offerings such as Muslim-friendly travel packages to broaden Malaysia’s appeal and minimise disruptions to international visitor arrivals.
It added that the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) continues to reinforce the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) segment to attract higher-value visitors and boost tourism spending.
“In the first half of this year, Malaysia successfully hosted 194 international business events involving more than 340,000 delegates, generating an estimated economic impact of RM1.82 billion.
“MyCEB has also secured 162 international business events scheduled to take place from the second half of 2026 until 2030.
“These events are expected to attract 350,686 delegates and generate an estimated economic impact of RM2.53 billion for the country,” it added.
MOTAC, along with its agencies including Tourism Malaysia, MyCEB and the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), said it would intensify efforts to position Malaysia as a safe, sustainable and culturally diverse travel destination with targeted marketing campaigns and strategic collaborations with airlines, tourism operators and digital platforms.
