By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 14: Tourist arrivals from ASEAN countries to Malaysia jumped 15.5 per cent in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2024, recording over 15 million visitors.
Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said a total of 15.09 million visitors from the region were registered from January to June 2025, up from 13.05 million in the corresponding period last year.
“This increase proves that our promotional strategies in the ASEAN region are on the right track. Malaysia’s role as ASEAN Chair has also contributed, particularly through the hosting of ASEAN meetings which attracted delegations,” he said when responding to a question in the Dewan Rakyat today, as reported by TVS.
He was replying to Tanjung Piai MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng on the effectiveness of the Ministry’s tourism promotion efforts, particularly in drawing visitors from ASEAN member states.
Breaking down the numbers, Tiong said Singapore recorded the highest arrivals with 10.29 million visitors between January and June 2025, which is an increase of 22.5 per cent from 8.39 million during the same period last year.
Myanmar posted the highest percentage growth, surging 64.2 per cent to 104,017 visitors compared to 63,353 in 2024. Other countries that saw increases include Laos (up 14.6 per cent), the Philippines (10.3 per cent), Thailand (5.4 per cent) and Indonesia (8.2 per cent).
However, several countries registered declines, including Cambodia, which fell 15.5 per cent to 747,851 visitors, and Vietnam, which dropped 8.7 per cent to 168,177 visitors.
On the reasons for the decline, Tiong cited promotional constraints and the lack of representative offices in those countries.
“In Vietnam, we only have an office in Ho Chi Minh. To get to Hanoi is more than 1,500 kilometres, making it difficult to carry out extensive promotional campaigns,” he explained.
Tiong said his ministry is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Finance to secure additional allocations, including the possibility of establishing representative offices in strategic locations to strengthen tourism promotion in the region. — DayakDaily
