Kuala lumpur: Tourism Malaysia has shifted its tourism promotion focus to more stable markets, including ASEAN, East Asia, South Asia, Europe, North Africa, and Oceania, as a proactive measure to mitigate the impact of the conflict in West Asia on the country's tourism industry.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Chiew Choon Man said the move is aimed at ensuring that the targets for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) remain on track despite geopolitical uncertainties in West Asia. He noted that the strategy's effectiveness is already evident, with visitor arrivals from the Asia-Pacific region rising 35 percent to 15.2 million between January and May this year.
"This increase will help offset some of the loss of visitors from affected markets, particularly West Asia, while also having the potential to boost visitors' length of stay and spending in Malaysia," he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat. Chiew was responding to a supplementary question from Dr. Ahmad Fakhruddin Fakhrurazi (PN-Kuala Kedah) regarding Tourism Malaysia's contingency plans to redirect promotional efforts to alternative markets.
Chiew added that Tourism Malaysia is expanding its promotional efforts beyond major cities to second- and third-tier cities to attract more international visitors. Concurrently, the ministry is focusing on strengthening domestic tourism, which remains the backbone of Malaysia's tourism industry, through various initiatives.
"As part of efforts to sustain the momentum of domestic tourism, Tourism Malaysia is implementing initiatives under the Jom Cuti-Cuti Malaysia campaign," he said. The campaign aims to encourage Malaysians to continue traveling within the country by offering affordable and quality tourism packages, accommodation, and travel experiences.
Chiew highlighted that the initiative is being carried out in collaboration with industry players, including tourism product operators, hotels, and airlines. Among them are the Doce Group hotel network, involving 13 hotels, and a joint campaign with Batik Air for the June-July period this year.