PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia's tourism industry is indicating signs of recovery in 2016 with latest figures showing more tourists visiting the country after the slowdown in 2015.Tourist arrivals to Malaysia for 2016 registered a hike of 4.0% compared to the same period in 2015. The country received 26.8 million tourists compared to 25.7 million tourists in 2015.Correspondingly, tourist receipts rose by 18.8%, contributing RM82.1 billion to the country's revenue against RM69.1 billion in 2015, which translates to an average per capita expenditure of RM3.068.2. Total receipts in shopping also recorded positive growth, with RM26 billion in 2016 compared to RM21.6 billion in 2015, an increase of 20.3%. The average length of stay of a tourist increased 0.4% in 2016 to 5.9 nights.The top 10 tourist generating markets to Malaysia in 2016 were Singapore (13.3 million), Indonesia (3.1 million), China (2.1), Thailand (1.8 million), Brunei (1.4 million), India (0.64 million), South Korea (0.44 million), the Philippines (0.42 million), Japan (0.41 million) and the United Kingdom (0.40 million).The ASEAN region continued to be the largest contributor of tourist arrivals with a 75.8% share of the total arrivals. Thailand registered the highest growth of 32.5%, followed by Laos (+27%), Brunei (+22.7%), Indonesia (+9.4%) and Singapore (+2.6%).The medium-haul markets contributed 18.5% share of Malaysia's total arrivals. Markets that registered positive growth included China (+26.7%), Saudi Arabia (+24.2%), Iraq (+12.1%), Taiwan (+6.2%) and South Korea (+5.5%).Tourist arrivals from the long-haul markets reached 5.8% share of the total arrivals to Malaysia.Malaysia's stronger tourism performance in 2016 is attributed to improved flight accessibility and travel facilitation, as well as the foreign exchange rate.Source: traveldailynews.asia
shahizam.f@mhtc.org.my
Muhammad Rasydan Ma’at
Asst. Manager, Communications
+603 8776 6168
rasydan.m@mhtc.org.my
Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), established in 2009 under the purview of the Ministry of Health (MOH) Malaysia, is entrusted with developing and nurturing the “Malaysia Healthcare” brand. MHTC enhances, coordinates, and promotes Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry by fostering industry collaborations and building valuable public-private partnerships both domestically and internationally. With 80 member hospitals nationwide, MHTC continues to elevate the healthcare travel ecosystem through strong branding, seamless patient experiences, and strategic market initiatives. In line with these efforts, MHTC is spearheading the Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism (MYMT) 2026, the nation’s first dedicated year to celebrate and advance healthcare travel. MYMT 2026 serves as a milestone initiative to showcase Malaysia’s world-class healthcare offerings, strengthen its position as the premier global healthcare destination, and highlight the industry’s significant contribution to the national economy. More information can be found at https://www.mhtc.org.my/.
