SIBU: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) handled more than 8,000 tourist arrivals within two hours on the first day of Chinese New Year (CNY), said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
Speaking to reporters at his CNY open house at Pulau Li Hua Commercial Centre on Thursday (Feb 19), Tiong said KLIA recorded about 6,500 arrivals at Terminal 1 and 1,500 at Terminal 2 during that period.
"The overall figure for the first two days has not been finalised yet as we are still waiting for the official data," he said.
He added that the strong visitor numbers mirrored high hotel occupancy rates nationwide, particularly in major destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, where many hotels were fully booked for the festive period.
In a statement issued in Sepang on Thursday, Tourism Malaysia said that on the first day of CNY, Feb 17, the country’s main gateway saw a significant influx of arrivals, with 32 flights bringing a total of 8,840 passengers between 7am and 10.30am at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2.
The surge in arrivals underscores the growing momentum of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, which is being actively promoted.
On tourism development in Sarawak, he said the ministry plans to deepen collaboration with the state government and Tourism Sarawak.
"After Hari Raya, we will hold engagement sessions with the Sarawak side. Tourism Malaysia has also been instructed to take a more aggressive approach in promoting travel across all states nationwide," he said. – Bernama
