Tourism Malaysia signs MoU with Malaysia Aviation Group to strengthen tourism industry

Tourism Malaysia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) for a three-year partnership that will reinforce Malaysia as the preferred gateway to Asia and beyond. 

The partnership also marks the strategic commitment from both companies to position Malaysia as a preferred tourist destination in the global economy.

The MoU was signed by Lee Tai Hung (third from left), deputy director-general of Tourism Malaysia, and Dersenish Aresandiran (third from right), chief commercial officer of MAG.

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The strategic partnership aims to attract 27.3 million arrivals and RM102.7 billion in revenue in 2024, as Tourism Malaysia gears towards its wider promotional campaign, 'Visit Malaysia Year 2026' (VMY2026).

The goal of VMY2026 is to grow the country's tourism sector to see 35.6 million tourists, and a net revenue of RM147.1 billion. 

To achieve these targets, Tourism Malaysia's promotional and marketing activities aim to strengthen the ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ brand.

Tourism Malaysia will work with MAG, alongside its subsidiaries Malaysia Airlines and Firefly, and collaborate on joint marketing and promotional programme activities for a three-year duration to mobilise efforts to revive the country's tourism industry, particularly in international markets. 

The programme aims to leverage both companies' strengths, and promises more services and seamless connections, Tourism Malaysia said in a statement. It will be developed and implemented in key international markets, in the leisure passenger, MICE, and transit passenger segment.

The partnership will also anchor on Malaysia Airlines’ bonus side trip (BST) offering, which provides passengers with a complimentary flight to a domestic destination on the Malaysia Airlines network, providing passengers the opportunity to experience what Malaysia has to offer.

BST will additionally include exclusively curated deals to allow visitors to experience more of the country's attractions, points of interest, and cultural wonders of Malaysia.

“We look forward to working with Tourism Malaysia, leveraging our strengths as a national carrier and aviation hub to pursue sustainable traffic growth in an increasingly competitive landscape. With our strong network and track record of working with partners through trade and consumer initiatives, we’re well-placed to support the nation’s tourism ambitions," said Ahmad Luqman bin Mohd Zami, CEO of MAG. 

The expansion of Malaysia's tourism services follows earlier announcements from last week's KL20 Summit that saw Prime Minister Anwar Ibhrahim reveal plans to strengthen Malaysia's international presence. This strategy includes developing Malaysia's start-up and digital economy, with aims to be in the top 20 countries in the global startup ecosystem. 

Similarly, Anwar unveiled plans to build a new chip design park, to progress Malaysia's semiconductor industry from production to design services. With a strong inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) and a robust manufacturing sector, particularly in the semiconductor industry.

According to the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), Malaysia is also said to be "on track" to becoming a high-income nation (HIC) by 2030. 

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