Malaysia’s Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, concluded a successful working visit to the United Kingdom with a major B2B networking event aimed at fortifying relations with the UK travel industry.

Accompanied by Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, the Minister’s visit highlighted Malaysia’s dedication to strengthening its presence as a top destination for UK travellers.

The visit focused on building relationships with UK tour operators, travel agents, and industry decision-makers, with the aim of exploring new collaboration opportunities to boost tourism.

A key event during the visit was a high-profile networking session, bringing together Malaysian tourism stakeholders and UK partners, including airlines and travel leaders.

Discussions centered on strategic initiatives for the upcoming Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign, as well as the development of exclusive travel packages tailored to UK tourists.

Additionally, the delegation engaged in pivotal meetings with top UK travel agents and key industry players to explore ways to enhance Malaysia’s appeal to the UK market.

Tourism Malaysia plans to build on the momentum of this visit with aggressive promotions in the UK, focusing on deepening partnerships with travel agents and industry stakeholders.

A mega familiarisation trip (fam trip) is also being planned to allow UK trade professionals to experience Malaysia firsthand, equipping them with the knowledge to promote the destination more effectively.

The UK remains Malaysia’s largest European tourism market, with 240,815 UK tourist arrivals between January and August 2024—a 34.7% increase from the same period in 2023.

As Malaysia gears up for VM2026, the country is targeting 35.6 million international tourist arrivals and RM147.1 billion in tourism receipts.

For 2024, the goal is to attract 27.3 million foreign tourists, generating RM102.7 billion in revenue, reaffirming Malaysia’s commitment to robust tourism growth.