Malaysia's tourist arrivals up 20% from Jan to May, says ministry
KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia recorded 16.9 million international tourist arrivals from January to May this year, a 20% increase from the same period of 2024, the tourism, arts and culture ministry said.
About half of Malaysia's total international tourist arrivals during the first five months of the year were from neighbouring Singapore with 8.34 million visitors, followed by Indonesia at 1.82 million, China at 1.81 million, and Thailand at 1.06 million, the ministry said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday.
'Arrivals from 'long-haul markets' such as Australia and the UK also saw increases of 16.6% and 8.7% respectively, compared to the same period in 2024,' the ministry added.
'This increase in foreign visitor numbers clearly reflects the effectiveness of various initiatives implemented by the government through strategic approaches, progressive policies such as the visa liberalisation plan, and support and incentives given to industry players,' the ministry said.
The Southeast Asian country recorded just over 25 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, falling short of its 27.3 million target.
'Malaysia is targeting 47 million international tourist arrivals in 2026, with a focus on key markets such as Central Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania,' the ministry said.
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