Tourism is one of the most important sectors in a tropical country that offers a rich landscape and cultural heritage like Malaysia. In 2023, the tourism sector directly contributed more than 81 billion Malaysian ringgit to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). Despite the severe impact of COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, which resulted in major loss to the GDP, the tourism sector in Malaysia has shown great improvement in the past year. Increase in inbound tourism Although the number of international tourists who came to Malaysia significantly decreased when the pandemic hit, 2023 showed that the industry has almost fully recovered. In that year, Malaysia welcomed more than 20 million visitors, a number that was only slightly below the number of tourists in 2019. The Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture forecasted that the number of inbound tourists could surpass 27 million people in 2024. Visit Malaysia 2026 With a promising outlook in the tourism sector, the Malaysian government announced the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign to further boost the industry. Through branding and promotion on various media channels, including social media platforms, the campaign aimed to attract 35.6 million tourists and generate more than 147 billion Malaysian ringgit in tourism receipts in 2026. This is nearly twice the amount of the inbound tourism expenditure in Malaysia in 2023.

Tourism Revenues in Malaysia increased to 102256.40 MYR Million in 2024 from 71308.50 MYR Million in 2023. This dataset provides - Malaysia Tourism Revenues- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Forecast: Total Tourism GDP in Malaysia 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2023, the total value from tourism receipts in Malaysia was approximately 71 billion Malaysian ringgit, a sharp increase from around 28 billion Malaysian ringgit in the previous year. The value of tourism receipts in the country decreased significantly in 2020 and 2021 because of the disruptions to the global tourism industry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP of Malaysia increased by 3.70% from 47.2 billion US dollars in 2018 to 48.9 billion US dollars in 2019. Since the 16.95% drop in 2015, contribution of travel and tourism to GDP shot up by 21.90% in 2019. US dollar billion, at current prices and exchange rates.

According to data from the UNWTO, Malaysia's tourism balance over gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 was in deficit of 0.5 percent. Tourism balance was calculated as the inbound tourism expenditure minus the outbound tourism expenditure.

Forecast: Tourism Direct GDP in Malaysia 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2023, there were approximately 20 million tourist arrivals in Malaysia, an increase from around ten million in the previous year. The country finally reopened its border in April 2022, after two years of travel restrictions which severely impacted the number of tourists coming to the country.

The importance of tourism industry

Tourism is an important economic sector in Malaysia, contributing around 102 billion Malaysian ringgit to its GDP before the pandemic hit. This sector also provided employment to about 3.6 million Malaysian residents and earned Malaysia around 71 billion Malaysian ringgit in tourism receipts in 2023.

Tourism industry in recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic had adversely affected the global tourism industry. As part of their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, countries around the world introduced restrictions on inbound as well as outbound travel. Malaysia had been especially hard hit, as it imposed travel restrictions for inbound visitors from China, its second-largest inbound tourism market, as early as the end of January. Now the borders have been reopened, the country can expect a surge of Chinese tourists to help the industry recover to its pre-pandemic state.

Real contribution of travel and tourism to GDP of Malaysia went up by 4.45% from 47.2 billion US dollars in 2018 to 49.3 billion US dollars in 2019. Since the 0.50% downward trend in 2015, real contribution of travel and tourism to GDP rocketed by 18.52% in 2019. US dollar billion, expressed at 2011 prices and exchange rates. This series excludes the effect of price changes and therefore allows for real (volume) changes to be determined.

5.6 (%) in 2019. The share of Travel & Tourism spending or employment in the equivalent economy-wide concept in the published national income accounts or labour market statistics. Visitor exports are compared with exports of all goods and services Domestic Travel & Tourism spending is compared with GDP Government individual Travel & Tourism spending is compared with total government spending Internal Travel & Tourism consumption is compared with total internal consumption (i.e. total domestic spending plus total export) Leisure Travel & Tourism contribution to GDP is compared with total GDP Business Travel & Tourism contribution to GDP is compared with total GDP Travel & Tourism capital investment spending is compared with all fixed investment spending

The revenue generated from medical tourism in Malaysia reached an estimate of 1.7 billion Malaysian ringgit as of 2023. This was a significant increase of nearly threefold compared to the revenue in 2021. The medical tourism industry in Malaysia suffered during the two-year travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a vast decrease in revenue. Leading medical destination in Southeast Asia Malaysia is well known as a leading medical destination in Southeast Asia. In 2023, there were more than one million people who traveled to Malaysia for medical purposes. According to the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), 60 percent of medical tourists come from the neighboring country, Indonesia. Penang is a popular medical destination city, especially for Indonesians, due to its proximity to Sumatra, one of the largest islands in Indonesia. In 2022, the Peninsular state generated more than 285 million Malaysian ringgit in revenue from medical tourism. Quality private medical care Medical travelers would usually go to private hospitals for their medical treatments. The Malaysian private healthcare system is well-developed and works to complement the public healthcare system. Many renowned Malaysian private hospitals that are popular among international visitors offer world-class medical care with the latest technology. In 2022, there were 207 private hospitals in Malaysia, representing a larger number compared to public hospitals.

Malaysia Domestic Tourism: Number of Visitors: Pulau Pinang data was reported at 13,127.587 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 10,002.735 Person th for 2022. Malaysia Domestic Tourism: Number of Visitors: Pulau Pinang data is updated yearly, averaging 9,135.000 Person th from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2023, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15,411.000 Person th in 2019 and a record low of 4,178.000 Person th in 2008. Malaysia Domestic Tourism: Number of Visitors: Pulau Pinang data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Malaysia – Table MY.Q007: Domestic Tourism.

According to data from the UNWTO, Malaysia's inbound tourism expenditure as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 was at one percent. The ratio of inbound tourism expenditure over GDP in the country had been decreasing over the period measured.

Capital investment (%) of Malaysia went down by 0.92% from 6.9 % in 2018 to 6.9 % in 2019. Since the 1.10% climb in 2017, capital investment (%) reduced by 1.34% in 2019. The share of Travel & Tourism spending or employment in the equivalent economy-wide concept in the published national income accounts or labour market statistics. Visitor exports are compared with exports of all goods and services Domestic Travel & Tourism spending is compared with GDP Government individual Travel & Tourism spending is compared with total government spending Internal Travel & Tourism consumption is compared with total internal consumption (i.e. total domestic spending plus total export) Leisure Travel & Tourism contribution to GDP is compared with total GDP Business Travel & Tourism contribution to GDP is compared with total GDP Travel & Tourism capital investment spending is compared with all fixed investment spending

Tourist Arrivals in Malaysia increased to 2552087 in December from 1856312 in November of 2024. This dataset provides - Malaysia Tourist Arrivals - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Malaysia Domestic Tourism: Number of Visitors: Kelantan data was reported at 7,549.370 Person th in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 6,627.155 Person th for 2022. Malaysia Domestic Tourism: Number of Visitors: Kelantan data is updated yearly, averaging 9,140.000 Person th from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2023, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12,047.003 Person th in 2014 and a record low of 1,920.930 Person th in 2021. Malaysia Domestic Tourism: Number of Visitors: Kelantan data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Department of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Malaysia – Table MY.Q007: Domestic Tourism.

21,5 (billion US dollars) in 2019.

According to data from the UNWTO, Malaysia's tourism openness over gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020 was at 2.5 percent. Tourism openness was calculated by adding up inbound and outbound tourism expenditures.

6,9 (%) in 2019. The share of Travel & Tourism spending or employment in the equivalent economy-wide concept in the published national income accounts or labour market statistics. Visitor exports are compared with exports of all goods and services Domestic Travel & Tourism spending is compared with GDP Government individual Travel & Tourism spending is compared with total government spending Internal Travel & Tourism consumption is compared with total internal consumption (i.e. total domestic spending plus total export) Leisure Travel & Tourism contribution to GDP is compared with total GDP Business Travel & Tourism contribution to GDP is compared with total GDP Travel & Tourism capital investment spending is compared with all fixed investment spending

The report covers Tourism and Hospitality Industry in Malaysia and is segmented by Type (Chain Hotels and Independent Hotels), and by Segment (Budget and Economy Hotels, Mid and Upper Mid-Scale Hotels, Luxury Hotels, and Service Apartments). The report offers market size and forecasts for the hospitality industry in Malaysia market in value (USD billion) for all the above segments.