Tourism Targets for 2026

13 Oct 2023

By AVV

KOTA KINABALU: RM 350 million has been allocated to boost promotion and tourism activities, aiming to restore Malaysia as a top global tourist destination.

Prime Minister Datuk Anwar Ibrahim when tabling the National Budget at the Dewan Rakyat today said this country is rich in cultural diversity and invaluable natural treasures.

“We excel in niche tourism markets such as ecotourism, scuba diving, golfing, wedding events, and health tourism. This immense potential should be harnessed through a well-structured framework to revitalize the tourism sector and make it the engine of the country's economic growth.”

Therefore, Visit Malaysia Year has been rescheduled to 2026, with a target of 26.1 million foreign tourists arrivals and an estimated domestic expenditure of RM 97.6 billion.

The allocation of RM350 million will go towards organising the Visit Malaysia 2026 Campaign including collaboration with the industry to promote and organise tourism events both domestically and internationally.

“It will also go towards providing assistance to over 200 cultural enthusiasts in organising art and cultural activities. Granting charter flight subsidies to enhance international flight accessibility to Malaysia and allocating funds to the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) to develop Muslim-friendly tourism in Malaysia.”

Besides that, it will also go towards preservation and maintenance of areas, buildings, and heritage sites that attract tourists.

“RM 20 million will be provided to state governments for the maintenance and preservation of tourist attractions such as Tasik Timah Tasoh in Perlis, Kenong Rimba Park in Pahang, and Pantai Teluk Kemang in Negeri Sembilan.”

“An amount of RM 80 million will be allocated to preserve and restore potential UNESCO-recognized heritage buildings and sites, including Gua Niah in Sarawak, Lembah Bujang in Kedah, and Royal Belum in Perak.”

RM 20 million will also be provided to Think City to enhance and preserve the cultural and creative value of Kuala Lumpur as a vibrant city.

In recognition of the significant contributions of the tourism and manufacturing sectors to the country's development, the government is committed to introducing new initiatives under the Malaysia Visa Liberalization Plan, which includes streamlining the approval process for Employment Pass for strategic investors in key sectors and introducing the Long-Term Social Visit Pass for international students who have completed their studies to accommodate the needs of skilled workforce in the industry, as well as enhancing the facilities for Visa-On-Arrival, social visit passes, and offering Multiple Entry Visas to encourage the entry of tourists and investors, particularly from India and China.

The government has also agreed to relax the existing requirements for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme to increase the arrival of foreign tourists and investors to Malaysia. The improvements in MM2H are expected to boost investment activities in Malaysia's financial market and real estate industry.