New flight routes planned to increase visitor arrivals
PETALING JAYA: Tourism Malaysia is stepping up efforts to improve international connectivity through joint campaigns with airlines, travel agencies and industry partners under the expanded International Flight and Charter Matching Grant.
Tourism Malaysia director-general Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim said the matching grant was intended to give tourism a targeted boost by stimulating demand and supporting new routes, existing services and charter operations.
He said Tourism Malaysia is working with local and international airlines, travel agencies and other industry partners on joint marketing campaigns to build demand for new direct and charter services from key markets.
The campaigns include digital promotions, tactical offers, online and offline branding, travel packages and engagement with travel trade partners.
Mohd Amirul said the effectiveness of the initiatives would be measured through passenger numbers, sales generated, marketing reach and publicity value.
“This is to ensure that our promotional investment delivers tangible tourism outcomes,” he said in an interview.
He said the initiatives would support the Visit Malaysia campaign, which has been expanded to 2027 by strengthening connectivity, stimulating travel demand and contributing to the long-term sustainability of new air services to Malaysia.
The programme has also been expanded to cover land and sea transport, including cruise ships, ferries and tour buses, in an effort to diversify international access and increase visitor arrivals.
Tourism Malaysia has collaborated with ferry and bus operators in several campaigns this year, mainly to attract visitors from neighbouring countries.
For the cruise sector, the agency has engaged port authorities and cruise companies to explore opportunities to strengthen cruise tourism and international sea connectivity.
Mohd Amirul said the grant had also supported a cruise service from China this year, aimed at increasing cruise arrivals from China and Asean.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced under Budget 2027 last week that a total of RM935mil will be allocated for tourism and culture, which will include the International and Charter Flight Matching Grant to pioneer new direct flight routes from China, India, Central Asia and Europe to Malaysia.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Nigel Wong said the grant could help ease the risks airlines face during the first year of operating new routes.
“New routes are risky for airlines in their first year, and that risk often stops them from launching at all. A matching grant shares that risk, which makes airlines and charter operators more willing to fly direct,” he said.
Wong said China and India were likely to respond quickly, particularly for charter services from secondary cities, while Central Asia depended heavily on direct air links.
He said services from Europe could take longer to develop and might need support beyond the first year.
“These types of grants will work best for agents who can package each new route into ready-to-sell itineraries,” he said.
Wong said clear eligibility criteria, quick disbursement and efficient immigration clearance were crucial for the grant to be effective.
He added that arrivals for each supported route or service should be monitored so that funding could be directed towards services that performed well.
Malaysian Association of Hotels president Datin Christina Toh said improved connectivity could translate into stronger hotel occupancy, longer stays and higher tourism spending, provided arrivals were converted into actual bookings.
“To maximise the grant’s impact, we hope to see clear implementation guidelines, accessible application procedures and sustained international marketing campaigns involving Tourism Malaysia, airlines and industry players,” she said.
Toh added that the initiative’s success should be measured not only by new routes and visitor arrivals, but also by hotel occupancy, length of stay and tourism expenditure.
