Reopening borders: Domestic tourists continue to drive Malaysia’s tourism recovery, says minister

Malaysia welcomes international travellers from April 1, but domestic tourism is expected to grow even bigger this year. — GLENN GUAN/The Star

Domestic tourists will continue to drive the recovery of the country’s tourism sector as international travel gradually grows, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

She said local tourists will still be vital to the tourism industry even as the country’s borders reopen.

“While we wait for international tourism to bounce back, domestic tourism continues to drive recovery,” she said during the launch of Tourism Malaysia’s Strategic & Marketing Plan (2022-2026).

According to Nancy, domestic tourism and holidays close to home have been identified as some of the major trends shaping tourism this year.

When the borders open on April 1, international tourist arrivals is expected to grow gradually.

“The arrival of international tourists will gradually grow in 2022 from neighbouring countries namely Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, followed by regional South-East Asia countries, the rest of Asia and from the medium and long-haul market,” she said.

The ministry targets two million international tourist arrivals and RM8.6bil tourist receipts this year.

Tourism Malaysia’s Strategic & Marketing Plan (2022-2026) is a new organisational strategy set out for the next five years to boost the the country’s tourism industry.

The plan focuses on domestic tourism promotion as well as international tourism recovery, with greater emphasis on digital adoption, innovation, health and safety.