Malaysia welcomes 165k GCC visitors

Last year, Malaysia welcomed 164,568 visitors from the GCC region, representing a substantial increase of 85.88 per cent compared to 88,534 tourists in 2022. In an interview with TRAVTALK, Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi, Director International Promotion Division, North and East Asia, Tourism Malaysia, shared that they expect that the number of tourists from the GCC region would double this year.

TT Bureau

How has Malaysia tourism been performing this year in terms of visitor numbers? Could you give us a breakdown? How has it been from ME?

In mid-2024, Malaysia’s tourism sector showed strong recovery and growth in tourist numbers compared to previous years. Malaysia experienced a significant increase in international arrivals in 2024, with a 28.9 per cent growth from January to June compared to the same period in 2023. Specifically, the West Asia market saw a rise from 56,592 tourists in the first half of 2023 to 85,559 tourists in 2024, an increase of 51.2 per cent.

What are the new strategies to attract visitors from the ME? Do you have any set target in terms of the visitor numbers?

Malaysia has been actively refining its strategies to attract visitors from the West Asian market. Tourism Malaysia will continue to collaborate with national carriers and foreign airlines through the Charter Flight Matching Grant (GSPC) to increase air traffic from the West Asian market to Malaysia. As of now, the number of flights for the year 2024 is 138 per week with a seating capacity of 41,956 from the UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Oman. Leveraging air connectivity to increase arrivals to Malaysia and rejuvenating offerings will further enhance Malaysia’s appeal as a preferred tourist destination in this region. Tourism Malaysia and Emirates signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) for a joint promotion campaign at the Arabian Travel Market 2024.

In general, our marketing approach for 2024 is geared towards high-impact and fast conversion strategies by intensifying the business-to-business programme, especially for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market. Last year, Malaysia welcomed 164,568 tourists from the region, representing a substantial increase of 85.88 per cent compared to 88,534 tourists in 2022. Therefore, we are optimistic that the arrivals from this region will increase by 100 per cent compared to last year.

As we gear up for Visit Malaysia 2026, Tourism Malaysia also plans to collaborate with other Middle Eastern airlines, incuding Qatar Airways.

Are they new connections to the Middle East? How will this drive traffic?

Batik Air has launched a new route starting from November 10, 2023, with flights from Dubai to Kuala Lumpur four times a week, offering a total flight capacity of 648 seats weekly. Additionally, Flydubai commenced its flights on 10 February 2024 from Dubai to Penang and Langkawi, also operating four times a week, with a flight capacity of 664 seats weekly. Responding to increased demand, Oman Air has doubled its flights to Kuala Lumpur from four times a week to eight times a week for the summer season. This year Emirates and Tourism Malaysia worked together to promote tourism and boost visitor traffic into Malaysia from the airline’s global network. Last year, Emirates and Batik Air Malaysia launched a codeshare agreement, allowing Emirates’ customers to easily access five domestic Malaysian cities and three regional Southeast Asia points via Kuala Lumpur. These new routes and increased frequencies highlight the strong demand for travel between Malaysia and the Middle East.

Will you be looking at any joint promotions with the Travel Agents Association of Malaysia and the ME travel agents?

Joint promotions between Malaysian and Middle Eastern travel agents play a crucial role in increasing tourism and attracting more tourists. These partnerships enable collaborative marketing efforts and provide mutual benefits. Establishing strategic alliances with travel industry players through Joint Promotion (JP) and targeted campaigns with travel agents and leading tour operators in West Asia will align with the goals of Visit Malaysia 2026, which emphasises high-impact and fast conversion strategies. It is important to form partnerships involving both private and public sectors in order to offer new packages and improved service quality.