PETALING JAYA: More major tourism events will be held beyond Kuala Lumpur to stimulate tourism and boost economic growth in other states, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic).
He said Malaysia is finalising a nationwide calendar of major events for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM 2026) as it targets 47 million international visitors and RM329bil in tourism receipts.
He said the government is in the final stages of confirming the events calendar with state authorities, stressing that major programmes will be spread across the country rather than concentrated in Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley.
“We are now at the final confirmation stage with each state. We cannot concentrate all the major events in Kuala Lumpur. The programmes will be held nationwide to stimulate tourism and support economic growth in other parts of the country,” he told The Star.
The VM 2026 line-up will include large-scale events such as music festivals and concerts featuring international artistes.
ALSO READ: Tiong: We must address safety and outdated facilities
“For major concerts and music festivals, we are in discussions with several foreign artistes,” he said.
Tiong said the campaign is meant to build on Malaysia’s strong tourism recovery and strengthen its position as a preferred global destination.
“For 2026, our targets are 47 million international visitors, RM329bil in tourism receipts and 302 million domestic visitor trips.
“We will announce the Visit Malaysia calendar soon,” he said.
While acknowledging that Malaysia’s role as Asean Chair in 2025 has helped boost visibility and arrivals, Tiong said the VM 2026 campaign will stand on its own merits.
“Being Asean Chair in 2025 certainly helps, but I am confident that Visit Malaysia 2026 will be even more successful in attracting visitors,” he said.
He said that beyond neighbouring countries, China, India and Japan are among the markets with the highest number of repeat visitors. However, awareness of destinations outside Kuala Lumpur remains limited.
“In some Asean markets, people know Kuala Lumpur, but they do not know where Melaka is. They have never heard of many other destinations.
“That is why our promotion and tourism products must be stronger and more diversified. Every state must play its part.
“We cannot rely on Kuala Lumpur alone and expect the whole country to benefit,” he said.
Malaysia welcomed about 38 million international visitors in 2024, a 31.1% increase from 2023, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
As of October 2025, arrivals stood at 34.9 million, with a full-year target of 45 million.
To support growth, Tiong said the ministry has been pushing to expand air connectivity.
“Malaysia now has direct flights to 126 cities in 37 countries and regions, with more than 3,343 international flights bringing up to 674,000 passengers a week to 13 Malaysian cities,” he said.
Asean remains the largest source of flights, led by Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Looking ahead, Malaysia will launch 21 new international routes by mid-January, including 16 scheduled services and five charter flights, operated by 10 airlines and linking Asean, East Asia, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka to nine Malaysian airports.
China will remain a key focus due to its huge outbound market and high-spending travellers, though Tiong stressed that Malaysia is not relying on any single country.
“What we want is economic growth. China is a major market, but arrivals from the Middle East are also rising, and India continues to show strong potential,” he added.
