TOURISM Malaysia wants travel trade players to take full advantage of the incentives offered to the private sector under next year's Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
The incentives are designed to spur travel trade members to organise and hold various activities to galvanise the industry to make it one of the best Visit series for the country, said Tourism Malaysia board deputy chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin.
At a special engagement session with tourism stakeholders at the Iconic Marjorie Hotel in Bayan Lepas, Yeoh told them that the federal government has allocated RM400 million this year to fund promotional and marketing activities in preparation for VM2026.
There are various grants available for the travel trade members to tap on and to improve their tourism - related stature, said Yeoh.
“On top of that, an additional RM130 million has been allocated through specific tourism grants such as the Geran Galakan Melancong (GAMELAN), Geran Sokongan Sektor Pelancongan (GSSP), and the Geran Sektor Penerbangan dan Charter (GSPC),” Yeoh said.
He urged Penang’s tourism operators to tap into these resources to help strengthen the state’s presence in the nationwide campaign, themed “Malaysia: A Sustainable and Culturally Rich Destination.”
“Penang is a beacon of cultural and natural attractions. With the right support and engagement, the state can play a leading role in making the campaign impactful."
The Penang session marked the 11th in a series of nationwide engagements by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac), following similar sessions in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka, Pahang, Perak, and Kedah.
These sessions are designed to gather feedback and ideas and foster collaboration among industry players.
Yeoh also shared promising tourism statistics, revealing that Malaysia welcomed 6.7 million foreign travellers from January to February 2025, a 31% increase from the same period in 2024 and a 14% rise from 2019 levels.
Malaysia is targeting 45 million international visitors and aims to generate RM450 billion in tourism receipts during the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign.
State tourism committee chairman Wong Hon Wai called for the entire state to be part of the tourism campaign so the state can garner record numbers next year. - May 7, 2025.
