Malaysia Strengthens Tourism Ties with Lufthansa Network at ITB Berlin

9 March 2026

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is strengthening its tourism promotion efforts in Europe following discussions with international travel network representatives during the ITB Berlin travel trade fair in Berlin, Germany.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Tiong King Sing said he held a meeting with representatives from Lufthansa City Centre International (LCC), a global travel sales network affiliated with the Lufthansa Group.

The network comprises about 320 member travel agencies across 110 countries and has more than 35 years of experience in international tourism sales and promotion.

During the meeting, LCC Managing Director Heiko Brix shared that following Lufthansa’s decision to launch a direct flight between Frankfurt and Kuala Lumpur on 25 October this year, the organisation is keen to strengthen tourism cooperation with Malaysia.

Tiong said the new route was the result of several rounds of engagement with the Lufthansa Group, which had initially been cautious about introducing a direct service to Kuala Lumpur.

“With the introduction of this route, Kuala Lumpur will become the Lufthansa Group’s fourth destination in Southeast Asia, alongside Bangkok, Singapore and Phuket,” he said.

He added that Lufthansa will also become the only airline offering direct flights to Malaysia from several of its core European markets, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy.

According to Brix, Malaysia remains relatively under-recognised as a tourist destination in certain global markets. As such, LCC is prepared to support Malaysia’s tourism promotion by leveraging its international network of travel agencies and aligning with Malaysia’s key market strategies.

He said the organisation is also planning to submit a proposal for marketing cooperation aimed at strengthening joint promotion and tourism sales initiatives.

Representatives from LCC and the Lufthansa Group noted that the immediate priority is to ensure the stable operation of the upcoming Frankfurt–Kuala Lumpur route.

As travel demand grows, they will evaluate the possibility of increasing flight frequencies or expanding to other destinations.

The route will also benefit from improved efficiency with the introduction of the Boeing 787 aircraft.

Tiong also suggested that Malaysia’s tourism authorities conduct market research together with Lufthansa to explore the potential development of future routes to Munich.

Both sides agreed to align their efforts with Malaysia’s upcoming tourism year and to formulate more concrete promotional strategies to boost visitor arrivals.