The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture has noted that the Cultural Tourism sector holds significant potential to drive economic growth and increase the income of local communities, and this will be the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 focus, according to Malaysia Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

Cultural tourism will be a central theme of VMY 2026, focusing on showcasing Malaysia’s diverse traditions, festivals, arts, and history. The tourism minister called on all stakeholders to work together to ensure the success of Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

Visit Malaysia Year 2026 Focus

The tourism minister mentioned that the ministry would continue to promote Sarawak’s diverse cultural tourism offerings. He also emphasised the need for cooperation with the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) to develop additional tourism products to attract visitors from ASEAN countries, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and beyond.

To prepare for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY 2026), the ministry plans to organise cultural tourism programs and activities in 2025, led by Tourism Malaysia. This initiative is expected to boost tourism-related income and benefit local communities by increasing the number of visitors and promoting the country’s cultural assets.

On a side note, the ministry will introduce Midnight Sales events at shopping malls across various states. At the same time, various Malaysian cuisines will be promoted in shopping centres and other outlets, which does not coincide with the main focus and theme. Hopefully, someone in the tourism ministry can explain this a little clearer.

Conclusion

While tourism players have been patiently awaiting the primary focus for VMY2026, many have speculated on the same genres of tourism, which include food, culture, nature and so on, which is done annually. The reason for wanting to know the main focus much earlier is that the industry players can start to prepare for the coming VMY2026.

It is also a blessing that the tourism ministry has put cultural tourism as the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 focus, and now, industry players can start working on creating packages with a one-year notice.