Malaysia launched Visit Malaysia 2026 and hosted ASEAN Tourism Forum
On January 6, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, officially launched the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign. Visit Malaysia 2026 objectives are set to complement the national strategy aiming to increase tourism revenue, enhance the country’s global tourism competitiveness, and position the tourism sector as one of the largest contributors to Malaysia’s GDP. The event also marked the signing of a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with key strategic partners, including U.S. companies such as Marriott International and Mastercard. The campaign targets 35.6 million tourist arrivals and aims to generate RM147.1 billion (approximately USD 327 million) in tourism receipts. To achieve these ambitious goals, the Malaysian government has allocated a record-breaking RM550 million for tourism promotion. This includes extending visa-free access for Chinese and Indian tourists until the end of 2026. The visa-free policy has already demonstrated positive results, with a 4% increase in Chinese tourist arrivals and a remarkable 47% rise in Indian tourists during the first 11 months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2019.
Certain tourism segments, such as medical tourism, are expected to experience significant growth under the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign. Malaysia has become the second-largest destination for medical tourism in ASEAN, trailing only Thailand. Backed by a supportive government initiative, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysia recorded a 26% growth in medical tourists in 2024 compared to the previous year.
As the ASEAN Chair for 2025, Malaysia hosted the ASEAN Tourism Forum and the 28th Meeting of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers (M-ATM), an annual platform bringing together government officials, industry leaders, and media to discuss regional tourism developments, which ran from 15 to 20 January in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Key topics at the ASEAN Tourism Conference included sustainability and AI in the tourism sector. Malaysia emphasized promoting lesser-known destinations and smaller towns to mitigate overtourism in popular spots. On AI, the government encouraged its adoption to enhance tourism services, from trip planning to improving user experiences with digital payments.
On January 16 – 19, the US-ASEAN Business Council led a business delegation to the 28th M-ATM, where member companies engaged with ASEAN government officials to discuss the evolving tourism trends and provide policy recommendations on regional tourism.
