Malaysia is eyeing the Middle Eastern market and has launched a string of products to lure the younger generation.
At the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Malaysian minister of tourism and arts, Nancy Shukri, said: “The last three years have given us plenty of time to think about what we want to do and this region is very important to us. We have come up with new itineraries and offerings to cater to this market.”
Pre-pandemic, in 2019, Malaysia welcomed 397,726 visitors from the Middle East and North Africa region – Saudi Arabia was the top source market with 121,444 tourists.
Nancy said traditionally Malaysia was a popular destination for families from the Gulf Cooperation Council, especially during the summer holidays, where they mainly visited the island of Langkawi. However, campaigns now are urging the region’s younger generation to explore other parts of the country.
She said: “We’re now trying to get tourists closer to our nature. It’s also time for us to promote more and entice a new target group – the younger generation. We have lots of exciting new offerings for them.”
In addition to promoting halal spas and accommodation, Tourism Malaysia is developing a series of cross-country motorhome and caravan tours. A series of glamping activities are also being rolled out, such as staying amid Malaysia’s orchards which bloom during the summer months.
To help stimulate arrivals from the region, Tourism Malaysia plans to lure more airlines from the Middle East to its airports this year. During ATM, Tourism Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) with Emirates to promote tourism and boost traffic to Malaysia from key markets across the airline’s network.
Emirates also plans to organise familiarisation trips with major tourism and media to come and experience Malaysia.
Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ chief commercial officer, said: “The MoC builds on the successful relationship we have with Malaysia, and underscores its significance as a key market in Emirates’ global network.”
Following a spike in Thailand Pass registrations over the last few weeks, new data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) indicates that the country is on target to welcome 20 million arrivals in 2023.
The uptick in arrivals comes in response to the relaxation of entry rules in April, the full removal of Test and Go PCR requirements, and the minimum Covid insurance coverage halved to US$10,000 on May 1.
As of May 3, TAT’s figures totalled 853,165 international visitors to Thailand – 74,414 from the UK, 63,342 from Germany, 55,995 from Russia, 51,783 from India and 49,792 from the US. This marked an increase of 139,982 in arrivals announced on April 25.
According to TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn, the impact of the new guidelines will fare even better if China – which made up the lion’s share of arrivals in happier times – eases her travel restrictions as well.
“The industry next year is poised to strengthen from this year, making the goal of attracting 20 million tourists, half the total in 2019, achievable. This is particularly the case if China, which previously contributed one-third of arrivals, lifts border controls by that time.”
The predicted boost in arrivals should translate to approximately 80 per cent of 2019 levels – or about 2.4 trillion baht (US$69.6 billion) in predicted revenue for 2023.
The governor added that the immediate future of the low-season longhaul market is also looking up, and could mean that Thailand will receive as many as 500,000 tourists by the end of this month.
To maximise the opportunities presented by the surge in arrivals and encourage more tourists to return to Thailand, TAT is planning to submit an application to the Center for Economic Situation Administration for a campaign designed to promote the city’s culture, attractions and famous nightlife.