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Iman Muttaqin Yusof

Malaysia’s push to attract Chinese tourists is increasingly being shaped by the same forces influencing their itineraries: short-form videos, lifestyle apps, online personalities and newly opened routes from cities beyond China’s largest travel hubs.
Tourism Malaysia confirmed the focus in a statement, saying its Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign in China encompassed “digital marketing, key opinion leader (KOL) collaborations, short-video content and themed initiatives”.
The agency’s response followed a This Week in Asia report on how mainland platforms such as RedNote, Douyin and Weibo are turning Malaysian mosques, food stalls and photogenic landmarks into ready-made itinerary stops for Chinese visitors.
Tourism Malaysia did not disclose how much it was spending on China-facing promotions or influencer-led campaigns, however, saying only that the “implementation and scale” of activities were “subject to the annual budget allocation approved for the respective year”.
The platforms were being used to “optimise market reach”, target high-end luxury travellers and directly engage “young, independent travellers”, it said, adding “promotional efforts are primarily focused on engaging both the travel trade and consumers”.

It said its outreach efforts also included “collaborations with industry stakeholders such as airlines, travel agents, hotels and other tourism-related partners”, alongside “direct consumer outreach through online platforms and offline promotional activities”.
China ranked as Malaysia’s second-largest source market in 2025, with 4.7 million visitor arrivals, up 25 per cent from 3.7 million the previous year, according to Tourism Malaysia.
“Arrivals from China continued to grow steadily for 2026,” it said.
Between January and May, Malaysia received 2.2 million Chinese visitors, a 21.1 per cent increase year on year.
The agency did not provide China-specific tourism receipts, but Malaysia’s overall foreign tourist receipts rose to 110.6 billion ringgit (US$25 billion) in 2025 from 95.3 billion ringgit a year earlier, yielding a net travel-sector inflow of 49.2 billion ringgit.
The Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism campaign has set targets of 35.6 million arrivals and 147.1 billion ringgit in receipts.
China connectivity
Chinese visitors were averaging roughly 5.7 nights in the country, reflecting “stronger interest in multi-destination and experiential travel within Malaysia”, Tourism Malaysia said.
It added that there was “strong potential” for growth spanning several segments, from older travellers to bespoke luxury holidays, younger independent visitors, family groups and education-focused travel.
As of May, Malaysia was connected to some 32 cities across China through around 740 weekly flights, offering more than 148,000 seats, according to the agency.
New services include Chongqing Airlines flights from Chongqing to Kota Kinabalu and Penang; Spring Airlines routes from Shanghai and Guangzhou to Penang and Kota Kinabalu; Qingdao Airlines flights to Penang; Xiamen Airlines routes from Changsha and Nanjing to Kuala Lumpur; and China Eastern Airlines flights from Dalian to Kuala Lumpur.
Tourism Malaysia said it was also expanding outreach into secondary cities, with promotional efforts being intensified in Henan, Hainan, Yunnan, Chongqing, Lanzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Shenzhen and Urumqi.

Separately, the agency has also been focusing on the travel trade. In April, it completed a business-to-business sales mission to Guangzhou, Chongqing, Changsha and Xiamen, leading a delegation of 76 Malaysian organisations including state tourism boards, hoteliers, tour operators and tourism product owners.
A second mission is planned for October, covering Beijing, Zhengzhou, Jinan and Wuxi, to strengthen ties with travel agents, tour operators and airlines.
The campaign comes as Thailand, long Southeast Asia’s dominant destination for Chinese travellers, faces headwinds from safety concerns linked to scam-related crimes and higher travel costs. The Association of Thai Travel Agents has cut its 2026 Chinese arrivals forecast from 9 million to 7 million.
Vietnam has also emerged as a strong competitor, recording about 21.2 million international visitors last year, with China its largest source market at around 5.3 million arrivals.
Tourism Malaysia said its China promotions were aimed at strengthening “destination awareness” and promoting Malaysia as a “preferred travel destination among Chinese travellers”.


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Malaysia

How Malaysia’s tourist board plans to entice Chinese travellers

Tourists take pictures with the Sultan Abdul Samad building near Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur on June 8. Photo: AFP

A tourist tries her hand at making coconut jelly during Eid al-Adha cultural activities organised by local tourism groups in Johor, Malaysia, on May 29. Photo: Xinhua

Colourful trishaws wait to take tourists around Malacca old town. Photo: Shutterstock

Why Malaysia’s tourism boom lives and dies on a Chinese app

A woman holds her smartphone displaying the Chinese social networking and e-commerce app RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu. Photo: AFP

A RedNote user poses near the McDonald’s in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: RedNote

A RedNote user takes a picture with photogenic “roti tisu” in Malaysia. Photo: RedNote

A RedNote user poses for a photo next to a “I heart KL” sign in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: RedNote

Malaysia has never had so many Chinese tourists. It wants more

Illustration: Huy Truong

Hot air balloons float near Putra Mosque (left)  in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

A RedNote user takes a picture near the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: RedNote

A tourist walks under lanterns prepared for Chinese New Year at Thean Hou temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February. Photo: Reuters

A RedNote user takes a picture near a colourful mural in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: RedNote

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing eats durians in Melaka, Malaysia. Photo: Instagram/bingbing_fan

A tourist tries picking coconuts during an tourism experience organised by the local tourism administration in Johor, Malaysia, last month. Photo: Xinhua

Chinese tourists take a photographs near the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur in 2005. Malaysia has been welcoming Chinese tourists for decades. Photo: AFP

Throngs of tourists and locals cross the street at Bukit Bintang intersection in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: Shutterstock

Why Malaysia is winning praise from RedNote’s Chinese influencers

Yili, a RedNote content creator from China, says she is seeing “more and more Chinese bosses” in Malaysia. Photo: RedNote/Yili

Zhi Zhi, a Malaysia-based Chinese parent and content creator on RedNote, praises Malaysia’s international schools, saying her child has benefited from the system. Photo: RedNote/Zhi Zhi

Tutu bb, a RedNote content creator from China, says Malaysia has “the most complete Chinese-language education system outside China”. Photo: RedNote/Tutu bb

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China was Malaysia’s second-largest source market in 2025, with 4.7 million visitor arrivals, up 25 per cent from 3.7 million a year earlier


China was Malaysia’s second-largest source market in 2025, with 4.7 million visitor arrivals, up 25 per cent from 3.7 million a year earlier.


How Malaysia’s tourist board plans to entice Chinese travellers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}China was Malaysia’s second-largest source market in 2025, with 4.7 million visitor arrivals, up 25 per cent from 3.7 million a year earlier

China was Malaysia’s second-largest source market in 2025, with 4.7 million visitor arrivals, up 25 per cent from 3.7 million a year earlier