Tourism Malaysia has initiated preparations for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM 2026) with the unveiling of a strategic roadmap designed to attract an unprecedented number of tourists. The tourism board commenced its efforts with a networking session on April 30, 2024, where it presented its strategic direction and action plans to industry players, focusing on promoting Malaysia both internationally and domestically.
This direction and action plans were crafted during the engagement session with industry players to ensure the fast conversion and high-impact programme and achieve the common goal of attracting 35.6 million tourists and generate RM147.1 billion in receipts for Visit Malaysia 2026.
The VM 2026 roadmap is built on three core strategies: creating demand, increasing traffic, and prioritizing target markets. Key initiatives include branding and marketing blitz, strategic partnerships for joint promotions and tactical campaigns, and market segmentation.
Malaysia has already seen promising tourism achievements in the first quarter of 2024. From January to March, the country experienced a significant influx of foreign tourists, reaching 5.8 million arrivals, marking a growth of 32.5 per cent compared to the previous year. The top ten markets contributing to this success were Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Brunei, India, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Philippines.
Tourism Malaysia will continue to empower its branding through aggressive advertising campaigns, influencer marketing, and compelling content creation across digital (70 per cent) and traditional (30 per cent) media platforms. The agency will also establish strategic partnerships with airlines, online travel agents (OTAs), and land/sea border operators of neighbouring countries to enhance tourist arrivals.
Key target markets are prioritised into three tiers, led by first-level priorities such as China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia. The second-level priorities include South Korea, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the United Kingdom, followed by third-level priorities comprising Chinese Taipei and Germany. Apart from traditional markets such as Brunei, Thailand and Singapore, the focus is also highlighted on emerging markets like Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, tourism products and travel experiences will be tailored for niche segments like nature-based tourism, experiential tourism, medical & wellness tourism, responsible tourism, luxury, weddings, Muslim-friendly, gastronomy, and bleisure travel.
YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said, “Our multipronged VM 2026 strategy provides a comprehensive framework to boost Malaysia’s visibility, enhance destination accessibility and elevate our tourism offerings. Through focused efforts and strategic collaborations, we are confident of achieving our yearly arrivals and target receipts in the run-up to VM 2026.”
Tourism Malaysia will continue engaging industry stakeholders and international partners to refine and execute the VM 2026 strategies, positioning Malaysia as a preferred tourist destination in this region.
