KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Malaysia will continue to focus its advertising and promotional efforts on attracting high-value tourists while maintaining initiatives for volume tourism under the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said claims that his ministry is focusing solely on tourists from China are inaccurate, stressing that promotional efforts are also aimed at drawing people of other nationalities.
He added that a comparison of foreign tourist arrivals between January and July 2024 and 2025 for 10 countries showed a significant increase.
“Tourist arrivals from Singapore in 2025 rose by 25.5 per cent to 10,288,256, compared with 8,397,886 in 2024; from Indonesia increased by 8.2 per cent to 2,197,288 from 2,031,111; from China grew by 35.6 per cent to 2,178,857 from 1,607,413; and from India recorded a 26.6 per cent rise to 807,664 from 638,109.
“We are not only focused on promoting the country’s tourism to China; we also aim to attract high-end and high-spending tourists,” he said when winding up the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) motion for his ministry.
Tiong said promotional efforts for VM2026 were strategically planned and implemented across major markets, despite a lack of allocations.
In this regard, he urged all parties, including MPs, to support efforts to promote the country’s tourism and refrain from politicising or sensationalising the initiative.
Tiong added that his ministry (Motac) continues to focus on all tourism segments, including Muslim-friendly tourism, which offered significant potential.
He said the Motac, through the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), was committed to developing and promoting Muslim-friendly tourism and hospitality, highlighting Quran-based tourism with main attractions such as the Nasyrul Quran Complex in Putrajaya and Yayasan Restu in Shah Alam.
“ITC has also carried out a tourism promotion mission to four major countries, namely, China, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, as part of efforts to boost Muslim tourist arrivals, particularly ahead of VM2026,” he said.
Meanwhile, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, while winding up the motion for her ministry, said the government encourages “pondok” institutions for to the elderly to register as Senior Citizens Activity Centres (PAWE) to enable them to receive appropriate government support and assistance.
She said that although the pondok education system provided lifelong learning opportunities for the elderly, the government could only channel assistance if the institution was officially registered as a PAWE.
“We have advised operators of the pondok schools to establish PAWEs. Once registered, they will be responsible for any activities they undertake and can apply for assistance from the ministry.
“We cannot provide any aid if they are not registered with us as PAWEs,” she said, addressing an interjection by Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PN-Rantau Panjang).
Siti Zailah highlighted the need for the pondok system to be recognised as part of the Action Plan for Senior Citizens 2030, as many elderly people choose to gain knowledge at these institutions.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting continues tomorrow.
