Visa-free entry fuels 1.6 mn Indian visits to Malaysia 

New Delhi, India – Tourism Malaysia reaffirmed its strong commitment to the Indian outbound market at a high-level press conference held in New Delhi today, ahead of its participation in SATTE 2026.

The media gathering was addressed by YBhg. Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, Dato’ Muzafar Shah Mustafa, High Commissioner of Malaysia to India, Ahmd Johanif Mohd Ali, Director, Tourism Malaysia New Delhi; and Ms Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi, Senior Director, Tourism Malaysia Kuala Lumpur, alongside the presence of leading travel trade partners, airline representatives, tourism stakeholders, and media.

The engagement comes at a significant time as Malaysia accelerates its global outreach under Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026).

Strong Performance and Market Momentum: Malaysia recorded 42.2 million international visitor arrivals in 2025, reflecting an 14.6% growth over 2024. India remains one of Malaysia’s most dynamic source markets, contributing over 1.6 million visitors in 2025, demonstrating sustained demand and market confidence. It marked a significant increase from 1.36 million Indian visits in 2024.

Malaysia has set an ambitious target of taking the number of Indian visitors to cross 2.1 million in the calendar year 2026. However, India still lags way behind China, which sent over 5 million tourists to Malaysia in 2025. It operates 700 weekly flights between China and Malaysia, compared to 240 between India and Malaysia.

Speaking at the press conference, YBhg. Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, said, “India continues to play a pivotal role in Malaysia’s international tourism strategy. The robust growth in Indian arrivals reflects the strong bilateral ties and growing consumer confidence in Malaysia as a safe, diverse and high-value destination.

As we move closer to Visit Malaysia Year 2026, we are intensifying strategic collaborations with our Indian partners to drive sustainable and high-yield tourism growth.”

Highlighting ground-level engagement and trade partnerships, Dato’ Muzafar Shah Mustafa, High Commissioner of Malaysia to India, added, “The Indian market has shown remarkable resilience and enthusiasm for Malaysia across leisure, MICE, weddings and premium travel segments. With expanded air connectivity, continued visa-free entry for Indian nationals, and strong industry partnerships, we are confident of achieving even stronger growth in 2026. Our focus remains on delivering quality experiences while strengthening trade collaboration across Tier I, II and III cities.”

Enhanced Connectivity and Accessibility: With more than 240 weekly flights operating between India and Malaysia, coupled with the continuation of visa-free entry for Indian nationals, travel accessibility remains robust and supportive of further growth under the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.

Strategic Engagement Events on 24 February 2026: 

As part of its intensive market outreach on 24 February 2026, Tourism Malaysia organised three dedicated engagement events in New Delhi ahead of SATTE 2026:

Wedding Seminar – Positioning Malaysia as a premier destination for grand Indian weddings, highlighting luxury venues, culturally adaptable services, seamless logistics and competitive value offerings.

MICE B2B Session – Facilitating direct business engagements between Malaysian industry players and Indian corporate planners and event organisers, showcasing Malaysia’s capabilities in Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE).

Malaysia Networking Dinner 2026 – An exclusive evening bringing together leading travel trade partners, airline representatives, wedding planners, corporate stakeholders and media to strengthen bilateral cooperation, foster new partnerships and build sustained momentum towards VM2026.