PETALING JAYA: Malaysia welcomed 2,835,724 international visitors between March 1 and 26 this year, a 2.4% increase from 2,769,305 in the same period last year, says Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic).
The Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister said the improvement comes despite recent global developments, including the situation in the Middle East, which has created uncertainty in the travel industry.
“Malaysia’s tourism performance in March remains encouraging, especially from key Asian and Asean markets,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Asean remained the largest contributor with 2,093,096 arrivals, a 0.6% increase year-on-year, while East Asia recorded 407,171 arrivals, up 12.8%, driven by a 22.7% jump in tourists from China, he added.
He said there was a marginal decline of 0.4% in visitors from South Asia which saw 123,270 arrivals.
In contrast, he said arrivals from the Middle East fell sharply by 40.3% to 4,398 due to the ongoing geopolitical tensions and higher operating costs.
Central Asia recorded 6,569 arrivals, an increase of 21% from March 2025, while Europe registered 124,824 arrivals (up 5.2%) and Oceania 33,127 arrivals, an increase of 20.2%.
Africa saw 7,165 arrivals, down 7.5%, while the Americas registered about 36,099 arrivals, a slight dip of 0.4%.
“These figures show that while some markets have been affected, particularly the Middle East, overall demand for Malaysia as a destination remains strong, especially within Asia and Asean,” he noted.
He said the government is recalibrating its tourism strategy by placing greater emphasis on high-performing and stable markets in response to the current situation.
“Malaysia will focus on markets that continue to show strong and consistent demand, particularly within Asean and Asia,” he said.
Priority markets include China, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
He said that the country will also continue to engage emerging and long-haul markets.
Among them included Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, France, Germany, Australia, Timor-Leste, Ukraine, Denmark, Switzerland, Turkiye and Poland.
Tiong said the ministry is closely monitoring airfare trends, flight frequencies and overall air connectivity.
“All Tourism Malaysia officers, including those based overseas, have been instructed to provide real-time updates, market insights and recommendations so that we can respond quickly and effectively,” he added.
He also said Malaysia was adopting a more targeted and value-driven strategy, with greater focus on high-yield segments and premium travel, rather than relying solely on volume.
This includes improving the halal ecosystem, enhancing Muslim-friendly hospitality standards and positioning Malaysia as a preferred destination for international Muslim travellers.
