KUANTAN: Various initiatives will be implemented to boost the tourism industry in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in view of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), says Tourism Malaysia eastern region director Mohd Azizul Arif Yahaya.
He said the three main goals for east coast tourism during VM2026 were to draw in more tourists and encourage them to stay longer and spend more.
“States in the east coast such as Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan have always been popular holiday destinations for domestic travellers.
“Accommodation such as homestays and hotels there are usually fully booked during holiday seasons.
“To achieve the three goals, we will come up with more interesting tourism products and packages, and enhance the connectivity to east coast states by adding more flights, among other things.
“As for land travel, we have highways connecting Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.
“The upcoming East Coast Rail Link could also be a contributing factor in boosting east coast tourism,” he said when met at the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Carnival co-organised by Star Media Group Bhd and Tourism Malaysia at Kuantan City Mall here yesterday.
He also said that the promotion of attractions such as Pasar Payang in Terengganu and Pasar Siti Khadijah in Kelantan would be stepped up to encourage domestic visitors to spend more while travelling to the east coast.
“For international tourists, we will mainly target our promotion towards citizens of countries with higher spending power to attract them to splurge in Malaysia,” he said, citing high-yield and sustainable tourism.
As for the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Carnival at Kuantan City Mall, Tourism Malaysia domestic and events division senior director Datin Rafidah Idris said the event provided industry players with direct links to the local community.
“This carnival will not only leverage Pahang’s tourism but could also boost the overall tourism scene in the east coast, which is one of the Malaysian tourism industry’s main driving forces.
“After Kuantan, the carnival will take place in a few other states across the nation. We are building strong momentum for VM2026,” she said at the launching ceremony of the carnival yesterday.
Rafidah, who is also Tourism Malaysia acting deputy director-general of planning, called for more public-private partnership to promote the beauty and cultural diversity of Malaysia as VM2026 approaches.
Also present yesterday were Pahang Economic Planning Division section secretary Norliza Mohamed Ali, Kuantan City Council secretary and chief digital officer Mohd Nizam Mahayuddin, Star Media Group Bhd chief operating officer Lydia Wang and client brand marketing senior general manager Sharon Lee.
After the launching ceremony, they visited the 57 booths available at the carnival and interacted with the vendors.
Carnival visitors were also entertained by a cultural dance performed by the National Department For Culture and Arts of Pahang.
They viewed replicas of dinosaur and orang utan presented by the Dinosaur Encounter in Zoo Teruntum in Kuantan.
The Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Carnival ends today.
It will then be held at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang, Selangor, from Oct 3 to Oct 5, before taking place in other states including Sabah, Sarawak, Penang and Johor.
