Tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing says the increase was supported by strong demand from major Asian markets.
In a Facebook post, Tiong said Malaysia recorded 2,835,724 international visitor arrivals between March 1 and 26, up from 2,769,305 during the same period last year.
He said the increase in tourists was supported by strong demand from major Asian markets.
Asean remained the largest source of visitors, contributing 2.09 million arrivals, a 0.6% year-on-year increase.
East Asia recorded 407,171 arrivals, up 12.8%, with China posting strong growth of 22.7%.
Europe registered 124,824 arrivals, an increase of 5.2%, while Oceania saw one of the strongest gains, rising 20.2% to 33,127 visitors.
Central Asia recorded 6,569 arrivals, up 21% compared with March last year.
The Middle East saw 4,398 arrivals, a 40.3% year-on-year drop, while South Asia recorded 123,270 arrivals, a slight decline of 0.4% compared with the same period last year.
The Americas also edged down marginally, recording 36,099 arrivals, a decrease of 0.4%.
Earlier this month, a research house said the government’s Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign might take a hit from the escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and a shift in global sentiment.
In a research note, TA Research said the campaign’s ambitious target of 47 million international arrivals and RM329 billion in tourism receipts might be impacted by headwinds from the conflict in the Middle East.
Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since Feb 28 after Israel and the US struck Iran, which responded with retaliatory strikes against Israel and US interests in Gulf countries. - FMT
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