KUCHING: Domestic tourism must not be sidelined even as the country begins gearing up for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026).
This is because it plays a huge role in the campaign, said Tourism Malaysia Director General Datuk Manoharan Periasamy.
“That is why I want us (tourism players) to continue to work together, sharing some of the programmes and initiatives,” he said.
He said this iduring the Engagement Session with Sarawak Tourism Industry Players 2025, officiated by Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah here on Tuesday (March 18).
Under the Visit Malaysia campaign, Manoharan said there are three main pillars, which are, to increase tourist arrivals by encouraging longer stays, enhance cultural and eco-tourism experiences to generate higher spending, and empower local communities through sustainable tourism development.
“All of these are indeed possible if we can together with the entire stakeholders,” he said.
He added that data is very important for seat capacity in airline companies, especially if it involved bringing in international tourists to Malaysia as well as Sarawak.
“The question is, how can we enhance it? A lot of times, the airlines will come back and tell us they have to carry some number of people to Malaysia, but unfortunately, most of the time, the tourists they have to carry are going onwards.
“Sometimes they don’t even stop in Malaysia. So we want to address those issues,” he said.
The engagement focused on outlining the strategic roadmap for VM2026, including the campaign’s objective and key initiatives.
Participants received updates on available incentives and matching grants from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), such as Tourism Promotion Matching Grant and International and Charter Flight Matching Grant designed to support the goal of attracting 45 million visitor arrivals and generating RM270 billion in receipts for VM2026.
