Malaysia has recorded a 20 per cent increase in international tourist arrivals, compared to the same period in 2024.
The tourism ministry said 16.9 million international tourist arrivals were recorded from January to May of this year.
About half of Malaysia’s total international tourist arrivals during the first five months of the year were from neighbouring Singapore, with 8.34 million visitors, followed by Indonesia at 1.82 million, China at 1.81 million, and Thailand at 1.06 million, the ministry said in a written parliamentary reply on Monday.
Arrivals from “long-haul markets” such as Australia and the United Kingdom also saw increases of 16.6 per cent and 8.7 per cent respectively, compared to the same period in 2024.
“This increase in foreign visitor numbers clearly reflects the effectiveness of various initiatives implemented by the government through strategic approaches, progressive policies such as the visa liberalisation plan, and support and incentives given to industry players,” the ministry said.
The Southeast Asian country recorded just over 25 million international tourist arrivals in 2024, falling short of its 27.3 million target.
Malaysia is targeting 47 million international tourist arrivals in 2026, with a focus on key markets such as Central Asia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Oceania.
In Spain, international holidaymakers are forcing Spaniards off their own sun-kissed beaches with local tourism dropping by 800,000 people last year and foreign visitors increasing by 1.94 million, according to previously unreported official data reviewed by analysis firm inAtlas.
With a population of 48 million – half the number of foreign visitors each year – Spain relies heavily on tourism, which contributes more than 13 per cent of GDP.
But protests are growing over housing shortages exacerbated by mass tourism – and could be exacerbated by the indignity for Spaniards being priced out of their favourite holidays.
Spaniards also made nearly 400,000 fewer trips to the country’s major cities in 2024 compared to the previous year, while foreign tourist visits there increased by almost three million.
