5 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
RM50m in tourism, culture grants almost used up, says Tourism Malaysia
PASIR GUDANG: The federal government's RM50 million allocation for grants to boost tourism and cultural activities has nearly run dry due to overwhelming response from industry players and event organisers.
Tourism Malaysia Southern Region deputy director Awang Shawal Awang Sulaiman said the strong response to the Tourism Sector Support Grant (GSSP) and Cultural Sector Support Grant (GSSK) bodes well for the run-up to Visit Malaysia 2026.
"We did not expect this level of interest.
"It's barely halfway through the year but the RM20 million under GSSK and RM30 million under GSSP have been heavily subscribed since applications opened in January.
"We are confident the grants will continue next year. For now, we urge more organisers to apply before the end of the year," he said after launching the Visit Malaysia 2026 and Visit Johor 2026 (VJ2026) vehicle stickers for tourism buses at Taman Mawar here today.
Present were state Tourism, Arts and Culture director Norazlin Abu Mutalib and Tourism Johor director Mohammad Nazrul Abd Rahim.
The initiative, organised with the Johor Tour Bus Operators Association, involved affixing campaign stickers on 70 tourism vehicles to raise public and visitor awareness.
Awang Shawal said multiple agencies were committed to making VM2026 and VJ2026 successful through strategic partnerships and aggressive promotional drives.
"This collaborative approach will strengthen Malaysia's tourism ecosystem and unlock more economic opportunities, especially for locals and industry stakeholders.
"We are confident these efforts will reaffirm Malaysia's position as a premier global destination, with Johor as the gateway for Southeast Asian tourists," he said.
