14th May 2026 - 3 min read
International visitor arrivals reached 10.65 million in the first quarter of 2026, up 5.4% from the same period a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC).
Singapore remained the largest source market, accounting for nearly half of all arrivals at 5.14 million, a 3.9% increase year-on-year. China posted the strongest growth among major markets, with arrivals surging more than 25% to 1.41 million. Indonesia, Thailand, and Brunei rounded out the top five, contributing 1.05 million, 612,040, and 375,937 visitors respectively. Australia also recorded double-digit growth of 11.4% to 137,856 visitors.
By region, Asean arrivals rose 3.1% to 7.49 million, while East Asia climbed more than 19% to 1.81 million. European arrivals increased more than 9% to 500,284, the first time the region surpassed the half-a-million mark in the first quarter. Among European markets, Türkiye led growth at 77.3%, followed by Ukraine at 35.3% and Poland at 23.7%.
The Middle East was the weakest-performing region, with arrivals falling more than 27% to 28,272, reflecting the ongoing impact of the West Asia conflict on travel patterns. While inbound arrivals continue to grow, the government has also been encouraging domestic travel through a Budget 2026 tax relief of up to RM1,000 on spending at local tourist attractions and cultural programmes.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing acknowledged that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East disrupted fuel supplies and forced airlines to reroute flights, pushing up operating costs and airfares and leading to flight cancellations towards the end of March. For travellers, the knock-on effect has been higher airfares and reduced flight options on certain routes, particularly those transiting through the Middle East.
Despite this, six of nine regions tracked recorded growth compared with a year earlier. Malaysia added 26 new international routes during the quarter, covering 20 scheduled services and six charter routes linking China and Hong Kong. Twelve airlines also introduced an additional 95 international flights per week, with Xiamen Airlines upgrading its Nanjing–Kuala Lumpur service to daily flights in March.
Tourism is Malaysia’s third-largest contributor to gross domestic product, after manufacturing and commodities. Under the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, the government is targeting 47 million international tourist arrivals and RM147.1 billion in tourism receipts for the full year.
The first-quarter figures put total arrivals at roughly 22.7% of that annual target after just three months. Whether the pace holds will depend in part on how airline capacity develops in the second half of the year. Lufthansa has confirmed it will launch direct Frankfurt–Kuala Lumpur flights from 25 October, which would add a new access point for the European market ahead of the year-end travel season.
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Iman writes about personal finance with curiosity. She is interested in the stories behind money, the hesitation around big decisions, and the small habits that shape financial futures. Off the clock, she is either dissecting a film or climbing her way up the leaderboard in her favourite games.
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