Tourism Malaysia hosts B2B session with industry leaders to refine marketing strategies for VM2026

KUALA LUMPUR/DUBAI: In a focused effort to refine and enhance the strategic roadmap towards Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), Tourism Malaysia convened a pivotal Business-to-Business (B2B) session with industry stakeholders today. The session was attended by key players from the travel industry, including travel agents, hoteliers, and airlines.

The primary aim of this programme is to build upon the strategic initiatives introduced during the Tourism Malaysia Strategic Direction Towards VM2026 Networking Session held in late April. This session serves as a critical juncture to streamline and fortify the strategies for Tourism Malaysia’s overseas offices, ensuring the successful implementation of high-impact and fast-conversion programmes.

Held at the World Trade Centre (WTC) Kuala Lumpur, over 80 local representatives, including travel agents, tourism product owners, airlines and hoteliers, had the opportunity to connect with 30 Tourism Malaysia’s overseas offices and 4 marketing representatives worldwide. The programme provides a platform for productive discussions and networking.

The session underscores the importance placed on enhancing overseas initiatives and consolidating efforts towards achieving the objectives of VM2026. The programme aims to leverage the invaluable feedback and support obtained from previous B2B sessions with industry players. These insights are crucial in developing effective marketing strategies that resonate with target audiences and stay at the forefront of global tourism trends.

Emphasis was placed on the critical role of overseas directors in realising the vision for Malaysian tourism. They are encouraged to proactively engage with industry stakeholders, embrace new ideas, and align their efforts with current trends to achieve the set targets.

The session reaffirmed Tourism Malaysia’s commitment to realising the vision of VM2026, aiming to attract 35.6 million tourist arrivals and generate RM147.1 billion in receipts. The collective effort and dedication of all stakeholders are essential to achieving these ambitious goals.

YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, stated, “Our journey towards VM2026 is not merely a campaign but a collective effort that requires the support and dedication of every individual. Let us work together to re-strategise our marketing action plans, leveraging the feedback and insights gained from this session. By doing so, we can create captivating campaigns that inspire global audiences to experience the wonders of Malaysia.”

The session concluded with a call to action for all stakeholders to unite and collaborate in refining and implementing the marketing strategies for Tourism Malaysia’s overseas offices. This unified approach will ensure that VM2026 becomes a resounding success, solidifying Malaysia’s position as a preferred tourist destination in the region.

For January to April of 2024, Malaysia logged a significant influx of 7.56 million arrivals, an increase of 27.5% compared to 5.9 million recorded in the same period of 2023. The top five tourist-generating markets were Singapore (2,599,076), Indonesia (1,150,939), China (955,696), Thailand (543,768) and Brunei (390,481).