Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign targeting high-value tourists
Tourism minister rejects claims his ministry is solely focusing on tourists from China
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (MNTV) – Malaysia will continue focusing advertising and promotional efforts on attracting high-value tourists while maintaining initiatives for volume tourism under the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign, reports The Sun Malaysia.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing rejected the claims that his ministry was solely focusing on potential tourists from China were inaccurate.
He stressed that efforts to attract international visitors also involved various other countries.
He added that a comparison of foreign tourist arrivals between January and July 2024 and 2025 for 10 countries showed a significant increase.
“Tourist arrivals from Singapore in 2025 rose by 25.5% to 10,288,256, compared with 8,397,886 in 2024; Indonesia increased by 8.2% to 2,197,288 from 2,031,111; China grew by 35.6% to 2,178,857 from 1,607,413; and India recorded a 26.6% rise to 807,664 from 638,109.
“We are not only focused on promoting the country’s tourism to China; we also aim to attract high-end and high-spending tourists,” he said while winding up the debate on the motion on the 13th Malaysia Plan for his ministry.
Tiong said all advertising and promotional efforts for VM2026 had been strategically planned and implemented across major markets, despite a lack of allocation.
He urged all parties, including Members of Parliament, to support efforts to promote the country’s tourism and refrain from politicising or sensationalising the initiative.
He said the Ministry of Arts, Tourism and Culture continued to focus on all tourism segments, including Muslim-friendly tourism, which offered significant potential.
He said the ministry, through the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), was committed to developing and promoting Muslim-friendly tourism and hospitality, highlighting Quran-based tourism with such attractions as the Nasyrul Quran Complex in Putrajaya and Yayasan Restu in Shah Alam.
The ITC has also carried out a tourism promotion mission to China, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, as part of efforts to boost Muslim tourist arrivals, he said.
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