Scoot and Tourism Malaysia Announce Three-Year Partnership to Promote Malaysia Ahead of Visit Malaysia 2026

7 August 2025

KUALA LUMPUR: Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines (SIA), and Tourism Malaysia today announced a three-year Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) to jointly promote Malaysia as a must-visit travel destination across key regional markets, in the lead-up to Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026).

The MoC formalises a strategic partnership until 5 August 2028, aiming to increase awareness of various Malaysian cities through integrated marketing campaigns and co-branded initiatives. These will include targeted digital advertising and familiarisation trips designed to inspire travel to Malaysia.

The partnership will focus on attracting visitors from countries including Australia, China, Indonesia, and Singapore. Scoot currently operates flights to 11 Malaysian cities, namely Ipoh, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Kuching, Langkawi, Melaka, Miri, Penang, Sibu, and Subang. With the planned launch of Kota Bharu on 26 October 2025, Scoot will operate a total of 115 weekly flights to 12 Malaysian cities.

The signing ceremony took place at Scoot’s headquarters in Singapore, with  Agatha Yap, Scoot’s Director of Marketing, Communications and Loyalty, signing the MoC on behalf of the airline, and Norliza Md. Zain, Director of Tourism Malaysia (Singapore), representing the tourism board. The event was attended by Calvin Chan, Scoot’s Chief Commercial Officer, alongside Dato’ Dr Azfar Mohamad Mustafar, High Commissioner of Malaysia to Singapore.

 Agatha Yap stated, “We are excited to strengthen our relationship with Tourism Malaysia through this three-year partnership. Malaysia has always been an important market for Scoot, and we believe this collaboration will help us raise awareness and generate greater interest in the Malaysian cities we serve. Regional travellers, including Singaporeans, enjoy a 30-day visa-free stay in Malaysia, and through this MoC, we aim to connect more travellers from Singapore and beyond to Malaysia via Scoot’s extensive network.”

Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, remarked, “This strategic partnership with Scoot comes at a crucial time as we ramp up efforts for VM2026. Leveraging Scoot’s extensive network will enable us to tap into high-potential regional markets and attract more international visitors to discover Malaysia’s unique offerings.”

“As of May 2025, Malaysia experienced a 20.4% year-on-year increase in international arrivals, reaching 16.9 million visitors. Singapore remained our top source market with 8.3 million arrivals, followed by Indonesia, China, Thailand, and India. We are confident that this collaboration will significantly contribute to our goal of welcoming 43 million international visitors in 2025,” he stated.