Malaysia strengthen AirAsia Indonesia partnership to boost regional tourism

Tiong (centre) presenting souvenirs to representatives from AirAsia Indonesia during a meeting recently.

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, April 30: Indonesian visitor arrivals to Malaysia reached around 2 million people by 2025, with about 75.4 per cent of them comprising Indonesian travellers, a clear indication that Malaysia continues to hold strong appeal in one of its most important regional tourism markets.

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said the figures reflect sustained demand and strong connectivity between the two countries, particularly driven by aviation links and cultural proximity.

He shared the update following a lunch meeting with the AirAsia Indonesia team during his working visit to Indonesia recently, where both sides discussed flight network expansion, market trends, and future directions for tourism cooperation.

AirAsia Indonesia currently operates about 650 round-trip flights to Malaysia every week, recording an overall passenger load factor of 82.1 per cent, which the airline said reflects continued robust demand for travel between Indonesia and Malaysia.

The airline also informed that it now operates 12 routes to and from Malaysia and has a fleet of 27 aircraft, underscoring its capacity to support growing regional travel demand.

Tiong noted that while some long-haul markets are facing challenges, including a nearly 60 per cent flight cancellation rate from the Middle East market this year due to regional tensions, it further highlights the importance of strengthening regional tourism sources.

“I explained that the current changes in the international landscape are increasingly highlighting the importance of regional markets, and Malaysia will continue to strengthen its presence in Southeast Asia and nearby markets in order to stabilise and expand visitor arrivals,” he said in a post shared on his social media today.

He added that AirAsia Indonesia has also committed to making regional route connectivity a core strategy, aiming to strengthen passenger flows from various Indonesian cities through major hubs into Malaysia.

Beyond aviation connectivity, both parties also explored potential collaboration in tourism product development, particularly festival-based and themed tourism activities such as water festivals, water sports events, and other cultural programmes that have shown strong appeal among regional travellers.

“These types of events can be planned more strategically to attract regional interest, and through joint promotion, they can further drive cross-border tourism movement,” Tiong said.

He added that the ministry will continue to review existing gaps in the tourism ecosystem and welcomes feedback and suggestions from industry players to improve competitiveness.

In line with this, Tiong noted that the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign period has been extended to 2027, providing additional time for more comprehensive market planning and promotional efforts.

AirAsia Indonesia also expressed confidence in Malaysia as a key tourism destination, citing strong cultural similarities between the two countries and short travel times as major advantages supporting sustained growth in visitor numbers.

With more targeted marketing strategies and enhanced flight route planning, both sides expressed optimism that tourist arrivals between Indonesia and Malaysia will continue to grow in the coming years. — DayakDaily