Malaysia taps Gulf air links to grow Middle East tourism

Malaysia is enhancing its air connectivity and tourism collaboration with the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council to boost Middle Eastern tourist arrivals.

During a recent official visit to Dubai, key engagements led by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture included signing Memorandums of Understanding with Emirates and Qatar Airways for joint marketing efforts.

These efforts align with the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign, aiming to leverage partnerships to increase international visitor arrivals, addressing the growing market potential for family holidays, luxury travel, and Muslim-friendly tourism.

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 22 — Malaysia is strengthening air connectivity and tourism cooperation with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to boost tourist arrivals from the Middle East.

The effort was highlighted during an official working visit by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture deputy secretary-general (Tourism) Chua Choon Hwa to Dubai from Sept 13 to 17, where he held discussions with airlines, travel agencies and tourism industry players.

According to Tourism Malaysia’s statement today, among the key outcomes were the signing of Memorandums of Understanding between Tourism Malaysia with Emirates and Qatar Airways to strengthen tourism promotion and joint marketing efforts.

Also present was Tourism Malaysia director-general Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim.

During the visit, Chua also met representatives of other airline partners, including Air Arabia, Gulf Air and Etihad Airways, as well as travel agencies and tourism industry players such as Emirates Holidays, Sharaf Travel, Al Rais Travel and Capital Travel.

The engagements also addressed recent changes and the regional situation in the Middle East, which have temporarily affected aviation and tourism activities in the region.

“Air connectivity is fundamental to this effort. By working closely with leading airlines and travel industry partners, we will make Malaysia more accessible to travellers from the UAE, GCC, and the wider Middle Eastern market,” he said.

Additionally, he said Dubai and Abu Dhabi are important international flight hubs, which could also provide greater opportunities for Malaysia to reach markets in Africa and Europe.

According to Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia has welcomed 30,257 visitors from the GCC region from January to June this year, reflecting the market’s potential in family holidays, luxury travel, Muslim-friendly tourism, shopping, wellness, gastronomy, nature and experiential travel.

The initiatives are also in line with the Visit Malaysia 2026-2027 campaign, which aims to increase international visitor arrivals, including from the UAE, GCC and wider Middle Eastern markets.

“Tourism Malaysia will continue to leverage partnership and collaborative initiatives with industry alliances to drive sustained growth from the UAE and GCC region,” the statement read. — Bernama

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马来西亚正在加强与阿拉伯联合酋长国和海湾合作委员会的航空连通性和旅游合作，以促进中东游客入境。

在最近一次对迪拜的正式访问中，旅游、艺术和文化部牵头开展的重要活动包括与阿联酋航空和卡塔尔航空签署谅解备忘录，以开展联合营销活动。

这些努力与“2026-2027马来西亚旅游年”活动相一致，旨在利用合作伙伴关系增加国际游客入境人数，以满足家庭度假、豪华旅游和穆斯林友好型旅游日益增长的市场潜力。

吉隆坡，9 月 22 日讯——马来西亚正在加强与阿拉伯联合酋长国（阿联酋）及更广泛的海湾合作委员会（GCC）地区的航空连通性和旅游合作，以促进来自中东的游客数量。

9月13日至17日，旅游、艺术及文化部副秘书长（旅游）蔡俊华对迪拜进行了正式工作访问，期间重点介绍了这项努力。他在访问期间与航空公司、旅行社和旅游业相关人士进行了会谈。

根据马来西亚旅游局今天发表的声明，主要成果之一是马来西亚旅游局与阿联酋航空和卡塔尔航空签署了谅解备忘录，以加强旅游推广和联合营销工作。

马来西亚旅游局总监莫哈末阿米鲁黎刹阿都拉欣也出席了活动。

访问期间，蔡先生还会见了其他航空公司合作伙伴的代表，包括阿拉伯航空、海湾航空和阿提哈德航空，以及旅行社和旅游业参与者，如阿联酋假日旅行社、沙拉夫旅行社、阿尔赖斯旅行社和首都旅行社。

双方还讨论了近期中东地区的变化和区域局势，这些变化和局势暂时影响了该地区的航空和旅游活动。

“航空连通性是这项工作的基础。通过与领先的航空公司和旅游业合作伙伴紧密合作，我们将使来自阿联酋、海湾合作委员会以及更广泛的中东市场的旅客更容易抵达马来西亚，”他说道。

此外，他还表示，迪拜和阿布扎比是重要的国际航空枢纽，这也为马来西亚开拓非洲和欧洲市场提供了更多机会。

据马来西亚旅游局称，今年1月至6月，马来西亚接待了30257名来自海湾合作委员会地区的游客，这反映出该地区在家庭度假、豪华旅游、穆斯林友好型旅游、购物、养生、美食、自然和体验式旅游方面的市场潜力。

这些举措也与“2026-2027马来西亚旅游年”活动相一致，该活动旨在增加国际游客的到访量，包括来自阿联酋、海湾合作委员会和更广泛的中东市场的游客。

马来西亚旅游局在一份声明中表示：“马来西亚旅游局将继续利用与行业联盟的伙伴关系和合作举措，推动来自阿联酋和海湾合作委员会地区的持续增长。”——马新社

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