PUTRAJAYA: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing is on a working visit to Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Aug 10 to 19, aiming to foster stronger cooperation between Malaysia’s tourism industries and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
In a statement today, Tourism Malaysia said this initiative is expected to boost tourist flow and further solidify Malaysia’s longstanding close relations with these four nations while strengthening personal ties between leaders.
During the 10-day visit, Tiong will engage in discussions with relevant ministers, airlines, leading travel agents and business leaders in Muscat, Kuwait City, Manama, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Key topics on the agenda include exploring collaborative efforts to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2026, the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme and other joint promotional opportunities to attract tourists from the GCC market, it said.
According to the statement, these sessions will provide valuable insights into Malaysia’s strategic tourism plans and initiatives, emphasising high-impact and fast-conversion strategies as well as trade and investment opportunities.
The GCC market holds significant importance for Malaysian tourism, consistently ranking among the top five international tourist spenders per capita, with a longer average length of stay.
In 2023, Malaysia welcomed 40,384 tourists from Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE, generating RM428.84 million in tourism receipts.
It said that this year, Malaysia anticipates over 55,000 tourist arrivals from these markets, contributing to the overall target of 27.3 million international arrivals and RM102.7 billion in tourism receipts.
