KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Malaysia is pivoting its marketing strategies to capture shifting global travel demands, focusing on long-haul markets and rerouting promotions to Middle Eastern travellers amid ongoing regional tensions.
Tourism Malaysia director-general Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim highlighted the need for adaptive marketing yesterday.
“One of our strategies is, for tourists who prefer not to go to the Middle East, Tourism Malaysia will work with other carriers, including local carriers, to divert and promote Malaysia to Middle Easterners, as they are one of the highest group of spenders.”
Mohd Amirul was speaking after officiating the “Jom Cuti Bersama Wira & Manja” strategic partnership and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tourism Malaysia and Dorsett Hotels Malaysia at Dorsett Hartamas yesterday.
“We need to change our direction, namely marketing and promotions for long-haul markets, including those involving direct flights.”
The shift comes as Malaysia’s tourism sector shows strong overall resilience despite a sharp decline in Middle Eastern arrivals due to geopolitical conflicts.
Following a stellar 2025 which welcomed 42.2 million visitors (an 11.2% increase over 2024), the first quarter of 2026 recorded 10.6 million arrivals, representing a 5.4% growth compared to 1Q 2025.
According to recent data, Malaysia recorded 2,835,724 international visitor arrivals between March 1 and 26 this year, marking a 2.4% increase from the 2,769,305 arrivals during the same period last year.
On the domestic front, the collaboration with Dorsett Hotels Malaysia aims to elevate local travel and instill national pride in alignment with the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) agenda.
The initiative has been revitalised under the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia (CCM) campaign theme: “Destinasi Indah, Harga Rahmah” (Beautiful Destinations, Affordable Prices).
