Sunday, August 25, 2024 Malaysia’s Tourism Minister leads a strategic visit to GCC nations to boost tourism partnerships, promote Visit Malaysia Year 2026, and drive economic growth. From August 10 to 19, 2024, Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, along with Deputy Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, YBhg. Dato’ Yeoh Soon Hin, and Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Mr.
Manoharan Periasamy, will undertake a diplomatic tour across Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This delegation is part of a strategic initiative to enhance bilateral tourism relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, setting the stage for ongoing partnerships. The primary objective of this journey is to build and reinforce connections with key tourism stakeholders in the GCC, aiming to elevate Malaysia as a preferred destination.
Through meetings with government officials, airline executives, top travel agencies, and business magnates in cities like Muscat, Kuwait City, Manama, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, the delegation will focus on promoting Malaysia for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026, the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program, and other collaborative marketing efforts. The talks are designed to offer deep insights into Malaysia’s tourism development strategies, with a focus on quick-win and high-impact approaches along with broader economic trade and investment prospects. Given the GCC’s role as one of the leading sources of tourism spending and its tourists’ tendency to have longer stays, these markets are pivotal to Malaysia’s tourism industry.
In 2023, visitors from Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE brought substantial economic benefits to Malaysia, with over 40,000 tourists generating approximately RM428.84 million in revenue. As the industry aims to surpass pre-pandemic levels, expectations are set to exceed 55,000 visitors from these countries in 2024, contributing significantly to the projected 27.
3 million international tourists and RM102.7 billion in tourism revenue..
