KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) is stepping up efforts to strengthen four key strategies to ensure the tourist arrival target for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026) is achieved, said Deputy Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan.
He said the strategies outlined include focusing on target markets such as China, India, Australia, Indonesia, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East, the United Kingdom, Chinese Taipei and Germany, while continuing to prioritise the ASEAN market.
“In addition, we are increasing visitor traffic to Malaysia by introducing new flight routes connecting major Malaysian cities with international destinations.
“This will also allow us to increase seat capacity to the country through the provision of incentives under the International Aviation and Charter Sector Grant (GSPC),” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said this in response to a supplementary question from Lee Chuan How (PH–Ipoh Timor) regarding the ministry’s initiatives to ensure that the VM2026 tourist arrival target can be achieved.
Khairul Firdaus said the third strategy involved strategic collaboration with travel agencies, including online platforms, to offer attractive, competitive and value-added travel packages.
He also said the visa liberalisation plan introduced by the Home Ministry had had a significant impact on the country’s tourism sector, particularly in attracting tourists from China and India. – Bernama
