PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s tourist arrivals have exceeded expectations, prompting the government to consider revising its targets under Visit Malaysia 2026 and intensifying global promotional efforts. The Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the original target for Visit Malaysia 2026 was 35.6 million arrivals. “This has created new challenges for us, but it also shows that promotion works,” he said after launching the strategic cooperation between Tourism Malaysia and Oriental Kopi for the “Rasa Malaysia” promotion in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026 yesterday (Jan 21). To sustain the momentum, Tiong said the ministry has instructed Tourism Malaysia to step up worldwide promotional activities, focusing on high-spending markets such as China, Singapore, Asean countries and Europe. Tiong also said Malaysia is targeting second-tier cities in China by working closely with airlines to reduce transit times, which previously discouraged travellers.

Source: The Star January 21, 2026 15:06 UTC