Malaysia shifts tourism focus to stable markets amid global crunch

 

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is looking to strengthen the tourism sector by refocusing on more stable markets, including Asean, Australia, India and East Asia – covering China, Japan and South Korea – to sustain visitor arrivals and national revenue following a global supply crisis that has affected air travel from the Middle East. 

Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir said the move was agreed by the National Economic Action Council to ensure the sector's resilience amid an uncertain global environment.

 "In a prolonged global crisis, tourism is not merely about increasing visitor numbers, but is crucial in generating foreign exchange earnings and helping to offset external pressures we are currently facing," he said during a briefing on the global supply crisis, broadcast live on local television stations today. 

He said that within a month of the crisis, a total of 288 flights from the Middle East to Malaysia were cancelled, involving 88,438 seats, although the segment accounted for less than one per cent of total tourist arrivals. 

According to Tourism Malaysia, arrivals from China reached 4.7 million in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 25.1 per cent. As of February 2026, there were about 871 weekly flights across 30 cities, with a capacity of 170,862 seats. 

The minister said strategies to boost visitor numbers must focus on Malaysia's strengths as a stable and accessible destination, supported by a well-developed transport system and sufficient domestic energy supply to sustain tourism experiences.

"More importantly, the benefits of tourism do not stop at hotels and airlines. When tourists arrive and spend, the impact is also felt by homestay operators, tour guides, local transport providers, restaurants, hawkers, retailers, handicraft entrepreneurs and various other small businesses. 

"This economic spillover is vital to ensure small industries continue to thrive and local economies remain active. That is why strengthening the tourism sector at this time is not merely about promotion, but about ensuring more local businesses can survive and more people continue to have a source of income," he said. 

He added that the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign had been extended to 2027 to allow more time for the international tourism market to recover, with a target of 47 million foreign visitors and RM329 billion in tourism revenue.

-nst online.