A Message from Panorama Destination Malaysia:
Greetings from Kuala Lumpur!
Malaysia continues to grow in popularity among international travellers, and was officially the most visited Southeast Asian country in 2023! This is extra evidence that Malaysia is really top of minds for many travellers in the post-pandemic era.
After a busy and productive winter season, we’re looking forward to the approaching summer period, when the weather is perfect for a holiday in Malaysia. At this time of year, visitors enjoy exploring the city, appreciating the country’s unique culture and heritage, sampling our delicious cuisine and relaxing on many a sunny beach holiday.
At Panorama Destination Malaysia, we have our own trip to look forward to, with ITB Berlin just around the corner (from 5-7 March in Germany). We’ll be visiting the show alongside our partners from the Indonesia and Thailand offices. This year, Malaysia has its own place at Hall26A, stand 104 table number 13. We hope you’ll drop by to say hello!
One of the many great products we’ll be showcasing at ITB Berlin is our East Coast of Malaysia package. This is the perfect trip for summertime and is always popular with our clients, who particularly enjoy exploring the many tropical islands in this region.
We currently have various clients from around the world exploring Peninsular Malaysia, enjoying cultural excursions and heritage trips on the Island of Langkawi, along with a number of clients in Borneo, exploring the nature of Malaysia.
If you have clients looking to visit Malaysia in the weeks and months ahead then do get in touch. We’ll be able to give them a summer to remember.
Natasha Jimin
Country Manager, Panorama Destination Malaysia.
Destination digest: Malaysia news in brief
A selection of bitesize news stories currently making the headlines in Malaysia:
Tourism Director General demoted
Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) former director-general Datuk Ammar Abd Ghapar was demoted from his post due to non-performance, said Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing. In denying claims that Ammar was removed for alleged racist issues, Tiong clarified that the latter was not sacked, but instead demoted to deputy director-general.
(source: NST Online)
Malaysia Ranked Most Visited Southeast Asian Country in 2023
In an interview Malaysia has become the most visited country in Southeast Asia throughout 2023, according to VN Express International. The country received close to 29 million tourists last year. Singaporean was the biggest contributor of foreign tourists in Malaysia with over 8.3 million, followed by visitors from Indonesia, Thailand, China and Brunei, Focus Malaysia reported.
(source: Tempo)
Tourism Malaysia outlines tourism ambitions
In 2024, Malaysia has set a target of welcoming 27.3 million international tourist arrivals, with tourism receipts exceeding 102.7 billion Malaysian ringgits ($2.1 billion). Tourism Malaysia are hopeful they can go beyond their pre-pandemic numbers, which were 26.1 million tourists back in 2019. According to their director general, “we have plenty in line for visitors and industry alike. We are proud to announce that Malaysia will be the host of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2025 next year. We are also currently amping up our promotional efforts in preparation for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year, set to take place in 2026.”
(source: Aviation Week)
AirAsia Malaysia launches flights between Kota Kinabalu and Shanghai
AirAsia Malaysia (AK) launched flights between Kota Kinabalu and Shanghai on 20 February 2024. Shanghai is the sixth destination in Mainland China accessible from Kota Kinabalu, following Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing and Wuhan. “We look forward to continuing to facilitate even more affordable connectivity between the two popular destinations in the future,” said Bo Lingam, Group CEO of AirAsia Aviation Group. The airline is operating the route with thrice weekly flights.
To get all the latest developments and breaking news coming out of Malaysia in the weeks ahead, simply follow Panorama Destination on our social media channels:
