Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tourism Malaysia to form a three-year cooperation aimed at increasing the country’s visitor arrival targets.
The memorandum of understanding will open the door for the creation and implementation of a three-year partnership program in key foreign markets. This is more than a leisure passenger initiative; it also includes transit passengers and meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibits (MICE). Furthermore, the collaboration will function as the foundation for Malaysia Airlines’ Bonus Side Trip (BST) program, which grants travellers a free journey to a domestic location on the Malaysia Airlines network.
The country’s Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) program aims to generate target receipts of RM147.1 billion, of which 35.6 million tourists are expected to arrive. Malaysia hopes to welcome 27.3 million tourists this year, with a RM102.7 billion tourism budget.
Speaking about the partnership, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, MAG chief executive officer of airlines, said, “We look forward working with Tourism Malaysia, leveraging our strengths as a national carrier and aviation hub to pursue sustainable traffic growth in an increasingly competitive landscape.”
He added, “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. This partnership reinforces MAG’s commitment to supporting the goals of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) through positioning Malaysia as the gateway for Asia and beyond.”
Meanwhile, Manoharan Periasamy, Tourism Malaysia Director-General, said, “More joint activities are planned, including familiarisation trips to Malaysia, marketing promotional activities, and advertising campaigns to feature Malaysia as a preferred holiday destination on the global stage.”