Malaysia is strengthening air connectivity and tourism cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to boost tourist arrivals from West Asia.
The effort was highlighted during an official working visit by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) deputy secretary-general (Tourism) Chua Choon Hwa to Dubai in the UAE recently, where he held discussions with airlines, travel agencies and tourism industry players.
According to a statement from Tourism Malaysia, among the key outcomes were the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the agency and Emirates and Qatar Airways, to strengthen tourism promotion and joint marketing efforts.
Also present was Tourism Malaysia director-general Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim.
During the visit, Chua met representatives of other airline partners too, including Air Arabia, Gulf Air and Etihad Airways, as well as travel agencies and tourism industry players such as Emirates Holidays, Sharaf Travel, Al Rais Travel and Capital Travel (Tourism365).
The engagements also addressed recent changes and the regional situation in West Asia, which have temporarily affected aviation and tourism activities in the region.
“Air connectivity is fundamental to this effort. By working closely with leading airlines and travel industry partners, we will make Malaysia more accessible to travellers from the UAE, GCC, and the wider market here,” he said.
Additionally, he said Dubai and Abu Dhabi are important international flight hubs, which could also provide greater opportunities for Malaysia to reach markets in Africa and Europe.
According to Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia has welcomed 30,257 visitors from the GCC region from January to June this year, reflecting the market’s potential in family holidays, luxury travel, Muslim-friendly tourism, shopping, wellness, gastronomy, nature and experiential travel.
The initiatives are also in line with the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign, which aims to increase international visitor arrivals, including from the UAE, GCC and wider West Asian markets.
“Tourism Malaysia will continue to leverage partnership and collaborative initiatives with industry alliances to drive sustained growth from the UAE and GCC region,” the statement read. – Bernama
