KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — The Malaysian tourism industry is expected to surpass the pre-pandemic levels for international tourist arrivals in 2024 onwards, driven by marketing and promotional efforts by the local tourism sector.
Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board deputy director-general Datuk Musa Yusof said this was following the positive outcome of international tourists coming to Malaysia this year.
“As for the first half of 2023, we (Malaysia) welcomed 9.16 million international tourist arrivals and as of the third quarter (Q3) of the year we recorded 14.4 million (for January to September).
“And now we have revised it to 19.1 million until the end of 2023,” he said after giving a speech at the Bursa-Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) Stratum Focus Series XVI (16th).
Musa said the 9.16 million tourist arrivals in the first half of 2023 had placed Malaysia second only to Thailand in the Southeast Asian region.
He added that most of the top 10 nationals visiting Malaysia in both pre- and post-pandemic times were from Asean, followed by China, India and South Korea.
Musa also cited a report from the United Nation’s World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) that the Asia-Pacific region had reached 61 per cent of the pre-pandemic levels for international tourist arrivals between January and July of this year.
“It is relatively low compared to the rest of the region due to slower reopening of international borders for several countries,” he said.
Meanwhile, Musa said in 2024, the tourism industry in Malaysia would focus on tourists from Vietnam and Indonesia due to their market growth. — Bernama
