
State tourism dept goes corporate ahead of Visit Johor Year 2026
He said the former state government department became Majestic Johor Tourism Sdn Bhd in February, as per the decree of Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
'This is to strengthen Johor's tourism sector and ensure that Visit Johor Year 2026 becomes a success.
'I acknowledge that I am not a tourism expert, and that is why we have formed (this company).
'We need to identify and appoint professionals who are experts in this field,' he said during the state assembly sitting at Bangunan Sultan Ismail here on Wednesday (May 21).
Onn Hafiz said this in reply to questions from Norlizah Noh (BN-Johor Lama), Liow Cai Tung (PH-Johor Jaya), Andrew Cheh Kah Eng (PH-Stulang) and Hasrunizah Hassan (BN-Pulai Sebatang), who asked about the state government's efforts to promote Visit Johor Year 2026.
"Through this corporatisation, we aim to focus on launching large-scale promotional campaigns and organising international-level tourism events.
'We also hope to continue having close collaboration with industry players and expanding promotional outreach for Johor,' he said. Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
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