KUALA LUMPUR: The Rain Rave Water Music Festival could be developed into a high-impact annual tourism event following the success of its inaugural edition under the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
This follows the festival's successful debut, which attracted about 415,000 visitors and generated an estimated RM392.33mil in economic returns under the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
"The event was one of the flagship programmes under the VM2026 campaign and was organised by a private company in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia.
“The ministry will also continue to ensure that all initiatives under the VM2026 campaign are implemented prudently, responsibly and in line with the nation's aspirations.
“We will continue to take into account the views of stakeholders to ensure the tourism sector is strengthened without compromising local values, culture and community sensitivities,” he said in a written parliamentary reply on Monday (June 29).
Of the total visitors, Tiong said the festival attracted about 150,000 domestic visitors, including those from Sabah and Sarawak, as well as 100,000 tourists from China, Japan, Bangladesh, India, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries, generating an estimated RM320.43mil in economic returns.
“Meanwhile, simultaneous events held in six locations, namely Terengganu, Melaka, Labuan, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Langkawi, attracted about 165,000 visitors and generated an estimated RM71.9mil in economic returns,” he said.
He was responding to Datuk Seri Fong Kui Lun (Pakatan Harapan–Bukit Bintang), who asked about the success of the festival in terms of visitor turnout, economic impact and tourism promotion, and whether the government planned to hold the festival again next year.
Tiong added that, based on feedback from the Bukit Bintang-KLCC (BBKLCC) Tourism Association, the programme delivered significant commercial benefits to businesses in the area.
Lot 10 recorded a 40% increase in footfall and a 45% rise in sales, while Sungei Wang Plaza saw visitor numbers grow by 31.3%, accompanied by a surge in sales.
“Meanwhile, the food and beverage (F&B) outlets at Pavilion Hotel also reported an increase in walk-in customers, with average sales rising by 11%.
“The support went beyond sponsorship, reflecting the private sector's strong confidence in the potential of Malaysia's tourism industry.
“A total of 63 food stalls and 15 handicraft stalls from Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Melaka, Sabah and Terengganu were set up in the Bukit Bintang area, generating direct sales totalling RM388,690,” he said.
He also said the festival generated nearly 10,000 media reports and digital content pieces, with an estimated publicity value of RM77.5mil.
“It recorded 1.9 billion social media impressions, 25.1 million engagements and 25.3 million livestream views, further enhancing Malaysia's visibility as an international tourism destination.”
