By Doreen Ling
KUCHING, July 11: Tourism Malaysia is banking on shopping tourism and interactive campaigns to sustain the momentum of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, following a strong rebound in domestic travel last year.
Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony of the Miss SHOPhia Shopping Hunt 2026, Tourism Malaysia Package Development Division director Zuraini Abdul Ghani said initiatives held in conjunction with the ongoing Malaysia Mega Sale 2026 campaign are designed to strengthen Malaysia’s position as a value-for-money shopping destination while promoting local tourism products.
She said the campaigns also support the objectives of VM2026 by encouraging domestic travel and showcasing destinations through experiential activities.
“In 2025, Malaysia recorded a remarkable 21.3 per cent increase in domestic tourism, welcoming 290.1 million domestic visitors, while domestic tourism expenditure rose 13.3 per cent to RM121 billion.
“Through interactive programmes such as this, Tourism Malaysia not only supports modern and traditional businesses but also promotes local heritage products and handicrafts, including Sarawak laksa, batik, and pua kumbu,” she said, which her text speech was made available to the media.
Touching on the event, she congratulated the 15 participating teams comprising CATS FM radio presenters, loyal listeners, members of the media, and social media influencers.
“Since 8am this morning, you have demonstrated tremendous sportsmanship, creativity, and resilience while completing challenges across 10 checkpoints around Kuching in pursuit of prizes worth more than RM7,000.
“You are all ambassadors who will help promote Sarawak tourism through your creative social media content. In closing, whether you won or lost is not what matters most. The true reward lies in the memorable experiences, friendships forged and the opportunity to explore the beauty of Kuching,” she said.
This year’s Miss SHOPhia programme entered its eighth edition since it was introduced in 2016 and has become Tourism Malaysia’s digital shopping ambassador, promoting shopping tourism through national campaigns such as the Malaysia Super Sale, Malaysia Mega Sale and Malaysia Year End Sale.
According to a press handout, Miss SHOPhia Shopping Hunt 2026, organised in collaboration with CATS FM, aims to serve as a creative initiative to promote domestic tourism and invigorate the shopping segment in Sarawak.
Its purpose is to provide participants with a unique shopping and destination discovery experience by completing various missions at shopping malls and tourist attractions around Kuching.
The programme aligns with Tourism Malaysia’s annual National Sales Campaign, which comprises three major shopping events—Malaysia Super Sale, Malaysia Mega Sale, and Malaysia Year End Sale.
It also supports the objectives of the VM2026 campaign by strengthening the promotion of Malaysia’s tourism products and shopping experiences. The active participation of media practitioners and social media influencers is expected to broaden promotional reach and encourage more people to engage in tourism and shopping activities.
These campaigns help position Malaysia as a value-for-money shopping destination globally while encouraging greater visitor spending through shopping activities.
Also present during the event were Tourism Malaysia Sarawak regional director Rubiah Tul’Adwiyah Md Yusof and Kristal Harta Sdn Bhd (CATS FM) managing director Mohammad Iskandar Nawawi. — DayakDaily
