DOMESTIC overnight tourist arrivals to Perak increased from 10.2 million in 2024 to 10.4 million last year.
State tourism, industry, investment and corridor development committee chairman Loh Sze Yee, however, said international tourist arrivals dropped by about 1.5% in 2025.
“Among the reasons for the decline in international tourist arrivals was the lack of flights on the Singapore-Ipoh route, as well as the global oil crisis which also affected the aviation industry,” he said.
Loh told reporters this after attending Pantai Timur Fest 2026 organised by Tourism Malaysia and launched by its director-general Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim at Aeon Kinta City, Ipoh, reported Bernama.
Previously, Chief Statistician of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin had said that Selangor remained the state most visited by domestic travellers in 2025 with 36.4 million visitors, followed by Kuala Lumpur (35.1 million) and Perak (23.6 million).
Mohd Amirul Rizal, in his speech, said Ipoh was selected to host Pantai Timur Fest 2026 because of its strategic position as one of the country’s top tourist destinations.
“The selection also allows the uniqueness of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang to be introduced to a wider audience, especially visitors from the northern, central and southern regions of Peninsular Malaysia.”
The festival saw 30 exhibition booths featuring various tourism industry operators from the three East Coast states.
It featured travel agencies, hotels, theme parks and online travel agents offering a variety of tourism products and experiences.
In addition, the festival also featured cultural performances, traditional craft demonstrations, heritage food promotions, interactive activities as well as special offers and discounts on travel packages in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026.
