Asia's 'most loved' country welcomes over 38 million visitors in 2024, minister says

By Hoang Vu February 18, 2025 | 09:03 pm PT

Tourists in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo by AFP

Malaysia received 38 million visitor arrivals in 2024, including 13 million excursionists, marking a 31.1% year-on-year increase and an 8.3% rise compared to pre-Covids levels in 2019, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said.

Having exceeded its 2024 target of 35.6 million visitors, the tourism ministry is now reevaluating its goals to set even higher benchmarks, The Star quoted Tiong as saying.

As part of its strategy to boost tourism's contribution to economic growth, the ministry has introduced initiatives to encourage day visitors to stay overnight by offering attractive travel packages, he added.

Malaysia initially aimed to attract 35.6 million visitors and generate RM147.1 billion (US$32.5 billion) in revenue as part of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, launched earlier this year.

Singapore was Malaysia's largest source of tourists, with 18.8 million arrivals in 2024, up 27%, followed by Indonesia (4.1 million), China (3.7 million), Thailand (2.2 million), and Brunei (1.7 million).

Malaysia was named Asia's "most loved" country in 2024 by American finance website Insider Monkey.

To stay competitive with Thailand, it recently extended visa-free entry for Chinese and Indian travelers until 2026.