By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 20 — Tourism Malaysia is aiming to attract 45 million international visitors as part of its efforts to drive the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
Tourism Malaysia Director-General Datuk Manoharan Periasamy stated that this ambitious target is well within reach, given the current trends in tourist arrivals.
He highlighted that Malaysia welcomed over 38 million visitors in 2024 alone.
As of February this year, tourist arrivals have increased by 31.3%, reaching 6.7 million compared to 5.1 million during the same period last year. The main contributors to this growth are visitors from Singapore, China, and India.
“Based on the current trends in tourist arrivals, we are optimistic about reaching the target of 45 million visitors, and this goal is certainly achievable,” he said during an engagement session with Kelantan tourism industry players today, as reported by BERNAMA.
To meet this target, he emphasized the importance of collaboration with all industry stakeholders, including product operators and state governments, to attract more visitors to the country.
During the engagement session, several key initiatives under VM2026 were shared, including the Matching Grant for International Flights and Charter (GSPC), Tourism Sector Support Grant (GSSP), Travel Incentive (GAMELAN), and the Cultural Sector Support Grant (GSSK).
Additionally, agencies such as the Department of National Culture and Arts (JKKN), the National Heritage Department (JWN), and the National Art Gallery (BSVN) also presented their programs and activities for 2025 to the participants. — DayakDaily
