SEPANG: All ministries are urged to focus on improving Malaysia’s tourism, investment, and economy while ensuring no state is left out as part of the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026) campaign, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar said the campaign aims to generate RM147.1bil in revenue and attract 35.6 million tourists.
These goals he said, can be achieved if everyone from the state and ministries works in cooperation.
“VM2026 represents a new approach to positioning Malaysia as a premier tourist destination and marks the beginning of efforts to genuinely drive tourism growth across the country.
“I urge all ministries to focus on boosting Malaysia’s tourism capabilities, as well as investment and economic opportunities, ensuring no region or state is left behind,” he said when launching the event at Hangar 6, MAB Engineering Complex, here Monday (Jan 6).
Also present at the event were Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Anwar said the VM2026 campaign is aligned with the government’s efforts to prepare all states as tourism destinations as the country prepares itself as the Asean chair this year.
The target to welcome 35.6 million tourists by 2026, he said is an ambitious but very pragmatic and realistic plan, as such aim would benefit the various sectors normally tourism, food and beverages and related industries would certainly benefit immensely from this success.
“Now, beyond these headline figures, our goal is clear, to promote tourism that is sustainable to our environment and communities, that acts as an engine of economic growth while providing meaningful and memorable experiences to our visitors.
“(Malaysia) is not an ordinary destination but a unique destination, environmentally friendly and with charming citizens who are multicultural, and multiracial which is a culturally divergent but rich and sustainable destination, consistent with our theme.
“And that this is of course aligned to the Madani framework, the ethos of our national development by championing sustainability concurrently with the attainment of a higher quality of life and harmony between development and nature,” he added.
