THE number of foreign visitors entering Malaysia through the Malaysia-Thai border rose by 6% in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic) said 1.59 million visitors entered Malaysia through the northern border between January and August, up from 1.49 million during the same period in 2024.
He said the Padang Besar checkpoint recorded the highest number of entries at 515,903, followed by Bukit Kayu Hitam (479,626) and Rantau Panjang (235,526).
“The consistent rise in arrivals shows that cross-border travel between Malaysia and Thailand remains active and continues to recover strongly after the pandemic years,” he said in a written reply to Pang Hok Liong (PH–Labis).
According to ministry data, arrivals through the Malaysia-Thai border have recovered steadily from the pandemic lows, increasing from 76,838 visitors in 2021 to 1.13 million in 2022 and 2.22 million in 2023.
Tiong said the recovery trend was reflected across all border checkpoints, particularly Bukit Kayu Hitam, Padang Besar, and Rantau Panjang, which together accounted for over two-thirds of total entries so far in 2025.
The minister said foreign arrivals via the KL International Airport also showed a strong rebound, with 3.52 million visitors recorded between January and August – a 16.4% increase from 3.02 million over the same period last year.
Foreign entries through the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Johor reached 4.83 million in the first eight months, marking a 6.7% rise compared with 4.53 million over the corresponding period in 2024.
Malaysia’s target for 2025 is 45 million international visitors and RM270bil in revenue.
