Visit Malaysia 2026 aims to draw over 40 million foreign tourists, says minister

SIBU (Dec 30): The Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign is targeting the arrival of more than 40 million international tourists, which is expected to generate significant economic returns for the country.

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said the target aligns with the government’s ongoing efforts to further strengthen the growth of the tourism sector.

He noted that the initial projection for international tourist arrivals this year was about 38 million, but current performance indicates the figure could rise to nearly 40 million by year-end.

“Based on current trends, we see strong potential for arrivals to approach 40 million by the end of the year,” the Bintulu MP told a press conference in conjunction with the Sibu Jaya Countdown here on Monday.

The Dudong assemblyman said existing allocations for tourism promotion are being fully utilised to attract more visitors from various international markets, particularly from Asian countries.

“This effort is not only focused on increasing tourist arrivals, but also on ensuring sustainable returns to the national economy,” he said, adding that tourism revenue brings direct benefits to local industry players as well as related service sectors.

On the main focus of VM2026, Tiong stressed that Malaysia’s cultural diversity is one of the country’s greatest attractions and should be highlighted in an integrated and continuous manner.

He also called on Malaysians to be prepared to welcome foreign tourists with openness and mutual respect.

“Malaysia has a unique multicultural diversity that deserves to be showcased to the world, but it must be done respectfully and not turned into sensitive issues,” he said.

In this regard, he expressed hope that close cooperation between the government, local authorities, industry players and local communities will help realise the target of more than 40 million international tourist arrivals by 2026.