Tourism Malaysia is optimistic about arrivals from India in 2026 considering there is a surging demand for ASEAN destinations. Haryanty Abu Bakar, Director, Tourism Malaysia Mumbai, spoke to Disha Shah Ghosh at length their India vision, opportunities and challenges.
Q. India is among the top source market for Malaysia. In that content, what is your vision for your India stint?
As we celebrate Visit Malaysia Year 2026, with India being one of our top source markets for tourism, Tourism Malaysia will be aggressively promoting not only leisure travel, but also MICE, adventure tourism, education, wedding and other niche segments while highlighting the diverse attractions of Malaysia beyond Kuala Lumpur.
Tourism Malaysia remains optimistic about achieving its target of 2.1 million Indian visitor arrivals in 2026 through strengthened partnerships, wider promotions and sustained engagement with the travel trade industry. Efforts are also expanding beyond major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru into Tier-II and III markets through targeted sales missions and engagement programmes. We have just concluded our Tier- II cities roadshow in Gujarat, and are now planning to conduct many such roadshows across Tier-II and III cities of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Goa (Panjim) during the 2nd quarter of Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Q. For Q1, 2026, Malaysia has already seen 10.6mn tourists, registering a 5% growth. What has been India’s contribution to this figure?
We have observed that the peak travel season for Indians coincides with the school summer holidays. Hence, we initiated our Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign from the last quarter of 2025 itself.
Tourism Malaysia continues to collaborate closely with airlines, travel partners, tourism stakeholders and state tourism boards, alongside active participation in major travel trade fairs such as Outbound Travel Mart (OTM), South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE) and India International Travel Mart (IITM). Beyond Kuala Lumpur, Tourism Malaysia continues to promote destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Melaka, Sabah and Kota Kinabalu, offering a diverse mix of culture, heritage, gastronomy, nature and island experiences. Platforms such as OTM, SATTE, IITM, product briefing roadshows, webinars, and joint promotions with major travel players have significantly contributed to the growth witnessed in the first quarter of this year.
Q. How do you view the changing global dynamics arising from the Iran conflict, impacting travel behaviour of Indians for international travel?
Amid recent geopolitical uncertainties in the Middle East that have temporarily affected global travel sentiment, Malaysia remains confident in the resilience of tourism demand. Travel fundamentals from key markets such as India remain robust, and recovery is expected as conditions stabilise. Malaysia is well-positioned to benefit from this rebound, supported by its reputation as a safe, welcoming and value-driven destination.
Outbound travel from India is now being re-routed from the Middle East and Europe towards ASEAN destinations. We have also observed that travel bookings to destinations worldwide have temporarily slowed down, as tourists prefer to adopt a wait-and-watch approach.
Q. At a time when the Indian PM has advocated curbing foreign travel to arrest stressing of forex reserves, how do you plan to reset your tourism strategy for India?
We are fortunate that the travel behaviour of Indians remains unchanged — they love to travel. Malaysia also focusing on high-yield niche segments including luxury tourism, MICE, cruise tourism, medical tourism, education tourism and destination weddings. While the leisure sector is witnessing a cautious approach, the MICE segment is steadily gaining momentum. Our incentive programme by Malaysia Convention Bureau (MYCEB) and other states of Malaysia is also highly attractive and encouraging for the industry.
In conjunction with VM2026, Malaysia will roll out curated tourism events, cultural festivals and lifestyle experiences nationwide to encourage repeat visits and long-term growth.
With Malaysia having emerged as a powerhouse of tourism this year in the region, how do you view competition from your neighbouring nations?
We strongly believe in the principle of “Love thy neighbour as thyself.” Healthy competition in any sector is always beneficial for society as well as for the country.
Indian travellers are encouraged to explore dual-destination travel experiences, particularly with neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. This is because Indian travellers tend to maximise the value of their annual travel budget by combining multiple destinations in one journey. In these challenging times, neighbouring countries have also come together to actively promote their respective destinations through various campaigns, special promotions, and discounted offerings aimed at attracting Indian travellers.
Tourism Malaysia continues to strengthen cooperation with regional aviation partners to enhance seamless connectivity into Malaysia. Through Scoot’s extensive network via Singapore, combined with interline arrangements with airlines such as Air India, Indian travellers can seamlessly access multiple Malaysian destinations beyond Kuala Lumpur on a single journey.
This integrated connectivity model strengthens Malaysia’s reach into 12 secondary cities across the country, including Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi, Ipoh and others, while improving overall travel convenience through smoother transfers and expanded routing options.
Q. In terms of geographical division and segment wise segregation, which areas are you keen to develop in India?
Tourism Malaysia currently operates through three offices in India, each responsible for different geographical regions. Our New Delhi office oversees the Northern and Eastern regions of India, including Nepal, while our Chennai office manages the Southern states as well as Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, our Mumbai office covers the Central and Western regions of India, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Goa, and the Maldives.
In terms of market development, we see tremendous potential in India’s emerging Tier- II and III cities. These markets are increasingly showing strong outbound travel interest and spending capacity, making them key focus areas for Tourism Malaysia. We strongly believe in unlocking untapped opportunities and positioning Malaysia as a preferred destination among travellers from these regions.
As an early mover in many of these markets, we are confident that our continued engagement through targeted promotions, trade partnerships, and consumer-focused campaigns will contribute significantly to increasing tourist arrivals from India and neighbouring markets under our jurisdiction.
