By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 17: Malaysia is laying the groundwork for a stronger presence in Australia’s travel market through strategic partnerships with four major travel companies to position Malaysia as a top destination for Australian tourists ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026).
Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (Motac) Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said he held in-depth discussions with Luxury Escapes, Sportsnet Holidays, Helloworld Travel Limited, and Intrepid Travel during his recent visit to Australia.
“Each meeting focused on leveraging our respective strengths and resources to position Malaysia as a top travel destination for Australian tourists,” he said in a Facebook post.
Tiong noted that during his meeting with Jodie Collins, Travel Partnerships manager at Luxury Escapes, she highlighted the company’s extensive membership base and content marketing strategy, which includes co-produced TV programmes, original social media content, and Dream Magazine, all reaching millions of users.
“They also maintain strong partnerships with several top Malaysian hotel groups and expect to generate approximately 17,773 room nights in sales this year,” he said.
Luxury Escapes also expressed interest in filming the ninth season of their travel series in Malaysia and setting up a dedicated Malaysia pavilion at one of their offline expos. A detailed collaboration proposal will be submitted soon.
Tiong met with Sportsnet Holidays chief executive officer (CEO) Daniel Cecconi and chief commercial officer (CCO) Nicholas Searles to discuss making Malaysia the top MotoGP destination of choice for Australian travellers in 2025 and 2026.
Sportsnet currently brings about 300 high-spending travellers annually to the Sepang MotoGP event, offering premium packages that include dinners, meet-and-greets, and other exclusive experiences.
“I proposed relocating some of these activities to Kuala Lumpur to increase participation and media exposure. We will also support efforts to secure more competitive ticket prices and coordinate joint promotions with Malaysia Airlines,” the minister said.
Both parties agreed to launch the 2026 promotional campaign immediately after the 2025 race, with Sportsnet to propose a full partnership plan.
In a meeting with Helloworld Travel Limited’s chief operating officer (COO) and executive director Cinzia Burnes, Group general manager of Marketing Melissa Warren, and general manager of Partnerships and Events Sarah Gerrand, Tiong noted Helloworld’s vast B2B agency network with strong retail presence and marketing resources.
“We encouraged them to develop a dedicated Malaysia travel brochure and a themed page on their website, supported by incentive-based sales schemes.
“Helloworld expressed interest in launching the campaign by October 2025, with a full product rollout targeted before 2026. A detailed budget and collaboration framework will be submitted soon,” he noted.
The minister also met with Intrepid Travel’s Strategic Partnerships manager Emma Gray, where he expressed strong support for their B-Corp-certified sustainable model, DMC office in Sabah, and use of local tour leaders and guides.
“Their clientele largely consists of solo travellers, families, and high net worth travellers aged 41 to 60.
“I encouraged them to design customised itineraries featuring golf, diving, and gastronomy, and to collaborate with Malaysia Airlines on content-driven promotions,” he added.
A comprehensive partnership plan covering airfare collaboration and marketing budgets is expected in two phases: between August to December this year, and the first half of 2026.
“In all these meetings, I gave assurance that Tourism Malaysia will fully support, promote our partnerships, and offer more competitive conditions for our collaborators.
“I reiterated that ‘Visit Malaysia 2026’ is not just a slogan, it is an opportunity. We are not waiting for next year. We begin now, alongside our strongest partners,” Tiong said. — DayakDaily
