The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia has announced the appointment of Datuk Manoharan Periasamy as the new Chairman of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia), effective 8 December 2025. He takes over from Datuk Dr. Yasmin Mahmood and will lead the board’s strategic direction at a crucial time as the industry aligns its efforts for the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign. With over 30 years of public service and tourism leadership, Datuk Manoharan brings deep experience across international promotions, advertising, digital strategy, product development and corporate communications. His tenure as Director-General of Tourism Malaysia and his long-standing role driving Malaysia’s tourism growth in South Asia—particularly India, one of the country’s strongest inbound markets—position him well to strengthen global partnerships ahead of VM2026. His appointment is expected to enhance coordination across trade stakeholders and accelerate Malaysia’s promotional activities as the country prepares for a major tourism push in 2026.
