Tourism Malaysia is ramping up its efforts to engage with Indian travellers through a series of strategic initiatives, including participation in prominent tourism expos such as the recent Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) held in Mumbai from 8th to 10th February 2024, and the upcoming South Asia Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in New Delhi, scheduled from 12th to 22nd February 2024.
In addition to its presence at OTM, Tourism Malaysia recently organized a successful Food and Culture promotional event in Mumbai, which took place from 5th to 11th February. Building upon this momentum, Tourism Malaysia is now spearheading a comprehensive sales mission across five major cities. The mission commences in Bangalore, followed by Chennai, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad, and culminates in New Delhi, spanning from February 12th to 22nd.
“The mission is led by Mr Razaidi Abdul Rahim – Director, of Tourism Malaysia, Chennai, Ms Noriah Jaafar – Director, of Tourism Malaysia, Mumbai, and Mr Akmal Aziz – Deputy Director, of Tourism Malaysia, New Delhi, accompanied by 45 organizations, including two state tourism bodies, three airlines, 14 hotel and resort operators, 19 travel agents, six product owners, and the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.”
This business-to-business (B2B) event serves as a platform for Malaysian sellers of tourism products and services to engage with Indian counterparts, fostering networking and cultivating business opportunities within this pivotal market segment. In addition to business matching sessions, the event features seminars and product presentations focusing on leisure and niche tourism markets such as meeting & incentives groups (MICE), weddings, golfing, and family-oriented activities. The sales mission is expected to attract over 500 travel agents and tour operators from the respective cities.
India holds significant importance as a priority market for Malaysia, characterized by robust economic ties and deep-rooted cultural connections. India ranks as Malaysia’s fifth largest source of tourists, with 17.8 million tourist arrivals recorded between January and November 2023, including 587,703 from India. Moreover, 181 weekly flights are offering 33,851 seats between India and Malaysia through Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air, AirAsia, and IndiGo.
This mission also aims to promote Malaysia’s recently lifted entry visa restrictions for Indian citizens, allowing visa-free entry for stays of up to 30 days from 1st December 2023 until 31st December 2024. The announcement, made by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim, underscores Malaysia’s commitment to enhancing bilateral tourism ties. Furthermore, the mission serves as a platform to promote Visit Malaysia 2026 through extensive publicity coverage throughout the program.
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