KUALA LUMPUR: Economic returns well in excess of RM300mil was believed to have been generated by the three-day Rain Rave Water Music Festival that was held here recently, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic) said the festival, held from April 30 to May 2, attracted 150,000 domestic tourists and 100,000 foreign tourists from China, Japan, Bangladesh, India, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“It gave an estimated return of RM320.43mil to the economy,” said Tiong during Minister Question Time in Parliament yesterday.
He said the event, held under the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, attracted 415,000 visitors and generated a combined total of RM392.33mil in economic returns from six states.
“This reflects the strength of cooperation between the government and private sector, as well as support from major shopping malls,” Tiong said of the event which also involved programmes in Terengganu, Melaka, Labuan, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Langkawi.
“It involved a cost of RM15mil, with RM11mil from the government and RM4mil from the private sector,” he said, adding that every RM1 spent by the government generated about RM35 in returns.
The economic impact estimates were done by his ministry through departing visitor surveys and data from the Department of Statistics Malaysia.
For example, the festival brought significant benefits to retail businesses, where malls such as Lot 10 recorded a 40% increase in visitor traffic, while Sungei Wang Plaza registered a 31.3% increase.
The three-day music festival held over the last week of April in Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Bintang enclave featured live music, food stalls and cultural performances that coincided with the Labour Day holiday.
Tiong was responding to Bentong MP Young Syefura Othman, who asked how the festival had contributed to tourism, and what other flagship events are planned by the ministry under VM2026.
He said Malaysia will refine its tourism campaign plans amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, with a revamped programme to be unveiled within six weeks, including extending VM2026 until the end of 2027.
