Tourism Malaysia confident of hitting 47 mln tourist arrivals despite H1 2026 lag, West Asia tensions

Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim at the launch of the EduPlus 2.0, EatVenture and The Orchard packages in the capital today. Photo credit: TVS

By DayakDaily Team

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 23: Malaysia recorded 21.1 million international tourist arrivals in the first half of this year, putting it below pace for its 47 million full-year target, but Tourism Malaysia remains confident the goal can still be achieved despite ongoing conflict in West Asia.

According to TVS, Tourism Malaysia Director-General Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim said the 21.1 million arrivals recorded between January and June represented a 2.5 per cent increase from the 20.6 million recorded during the same period last year.

“While the figure shows positive growth, the performance has yet to reach the pace required to achieve this year’s 47 million tourist arrivals target. However, the government is still targeting 47 million tourists to ensure the momentum from the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) promotional efforts we have carried out continues

“Domestic tourism also expanded, reaching 74.7 million visitors during the first 10 months of the year—up 7.2% compared to 69.7 million in the same period last year,” he told reporters after the launch of the EduPlus 2.0, EatVenture and The Orchard packages in the capital today.

On Budget 2027, he said Tourism Malaysia hoped the government would provide a higher allocation to intensify international promotional efforts.

He said the request took into account feedback from engagement sessions with tourism industry players, who highlighted the need for Malaysia to strengthen its competitiveness amid intense competition from regional destinations such as Indonesia and Thailand.

“We have requested a higher allocation for next year to ensure the tourism sector remains sustainable and competitive.

“Competition is very intense as every country is trying to promote its respective destinations, so we need financial support as well as close cooperation with industry players,” he said.

Mohd Amirul added that continued support for the tourism sector is vital to sustain its broad economic impact, which extends beyond hotels and food to create spillover effects in agriculture, transportation, and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). — DayakDaily