Malaysia Sets Sights On 500,000 UK Tourists For VM2026, Says Ahmad Zahid

From Syamsiah Sahat

LONDON, June 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is targeting 500,000 tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom (UK) as part of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, said Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He expressed optimism that the target can be met, citing a significant increase in the number of tourists from the UK during the first four months of this year. He is confident that this upward trend will continue.

“I am satisfied with the efforts carried out by Tourism Malaysia in London, especially regarding the goal of attracting 500,000 tourists from the United Kingdom. I am confident that this target can be achieved,” he said at a press conference following the launch of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) here on Tuesday.

Earlier, Ahmad Zahid participated in a tourism roundtable session with key players from the UK tourism industry.

During the session, he said that there is a proposal to create a special package for tourists flying with Malaysian Airlines, offering stopover incentives to encourage them to spend time in Kuala Lumpur or other destinations in Peninsular Malaysia.

“I have agreed to bring this proposal to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and present it to the Cabinet so that the package can be implemented by 2026.

“Malaysia Airlines had previously offered a similar package with considerable success, so we are optimistic that the suggestion from the Malaysia Airlines manager in London can be adopted and implemented,” he said.

In his opening remarks, Ahmad Zahid noted that in 2024, 390,035 travellers from the UK visited Malaysia, contributing over RM2.5 billion in visitor receipts.

He also highlighted that Malaysia has approved 103 new international routes, 29 additional flight frequencies, and five charter flights.

“All in preparation for Visit Malaysia 2026. I believe these routes represent more than just infrastructure -they are gateways to opportunities for travellers, operators, and investors alike,” he said

-- BERNAMA