Malaysia’s tourism sector hit another milestone in the first quarter of 2026, with international visitor arrivals rising 5.4% year-on-year to a record 10.65 million, driven by strong Chinese New Year travel demand and expanded flight connectivity.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said February alone recorded the highest monthly arrivals ever, with visitor numbers surpassing the 3 million mark for the first time at 3.47 million.
He said the latest figures marked the second consecutive year Malaysia exceeded 10 million international arrivals in the first quarter, surpassing even pre-pandemic levels.
“Previously, Malaysia had never reached 10 million arrivals in the first quarter. In 2019, before the pandemic, first-quarter arrivals stood at only 9.01 million,” he said.
Despite the strong performance, Tiong said geopolitical tensions in the Middle East had begun affecting global travel flows through higher fuel costs, flight rerouting and rising airline operating expenses.
The Middle East region recorded the sharpest decline in arrivals at 27.2%, while South Asia and North Africa posted declines of 6.7% and 8.4% respectively.
However, most regions continued to register growth, led by East Asia and ASEAN, which each contributed more than 200,000 additional visitors during the quarter. Central Asia recorded the fastest growth rate at 20%.
China remained Malaysia’s largest growth contributor, with arrivals increasing by more than 280,000 visitors or 25.2% year-on-year. Australia also posted strong growth of 11.4%.
Within ASEAN, only Indonesia and Vietnam registered declines, while the remaining member countries recorded growth ranging from 3.5% to 54.3%. Overall, ASEAN arrivals rose by more than 350,000 visitors.
Malaysia also saw a strong rebound in the European market, with first-quarter arrivals from Europe exceeding 500,000 for the first time.
Tiong said 15 out of 16 major European markets recorded growth, led by Türkiye at 77.3%, Ukraine at 35.3% and Poland at 23.7%. Germany was the only European market to post a decline.
To sustain tourism momentum, Malaysia expanded its international air connectivity aggressively during the quarter.
Tiong said 20 new scheduled international routes began operations in the first three months of the year, with 12 airlines adding 95 extra weekly international flights into Malaysia.
Another five airlines introduced six charter routes linking China and Hong Kong with Malaysia.
He added that Xiamen Airlines increased its Nanjing-Kuala Lumpur frequency to daily flights in March, while China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines expanded China-Malaysia services from 82 to 106 routes during the Chinese New Year travel period.
The expanded connectivity helped arrivals from China during the festive season surge past 600,000 visitors, reaching 604,675 arrivals and contributing to February’s record-breaking performance.
