Malaysia, named Asia’s most loved country, has set a target of welcoming 45 million foreign visitors this year, marking a 10% increase from last year’s figures, driven by strong growth from the Chinese and Indian markets.
Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, director-general of Tourism Malaysia, expressed confidence that this goal is achievable, with collaboration between tourism industry and other all industry players, including product operators and state governments, to attract more visitors, as reported Star.
As of February, Malaysia has seen a 31.3% increase in visitor numbers, reaching 6.7 million compared to 5.1 million during the same period last year. The main contributors to this growth are visitors from Singapore, China, and India.
In 2024, Malaysia recorded 38 million arrivals, including 13 million excursionists, marking a 31.1% year-on-year increase and an 8.3% rise compared to levels in 2019, according to Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Malaysia’s 45-million target exceeds that of Thailand, which expects to attract 38-39 million foreign arrivals this year.
Malaysia, named Asia’s most loved country in 2024 by the American finance website Insider Monkey, introduced a 30-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese and Indian citizens in December 2023 and has extended the scheme until 2026.
In 2024, more than 2 000 citizens of Turkmenistan took advantage of the opportunity to visit Malaysia without a visa for up to 90 days.
