KUCHING: Sarawak, Sabah and the East Coast island clusters have been identified as key focus areas to boost Malaysia’s appeal in the Indonesian tourism market, as efforts intensify to attract a wider range of travellers.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said both sides are also looking to enrich tourism offerings, including island holidays, ecotourism experiences, shopping and gastronomic tourism.
He said this in a statement following his meetings with Indonesian tour operator Dwidayatour and the Baltic Golf & Travel Specialist team during his working visit to Indonesia.
Tiong said the discussions also centred on expanding Malaysia’s share of the Indonesian outbound tourism market, as well as developing premium tourism segments.
“Indonesia remains one of Malaysia’s key source markets. In 2025, Malaysia recorded about 42.2 million visitor arrivals, with approximately 4.3 million visitors from Indonesia — an increase from 2024.
“However, this figure is still far below its true potential, as total outbound travel by Indonesians reached around 12 million,” he said.
He noted that both parties agreed on the need to intensify promotional efforts to enhance Malaysia’s appeal and improve market penetration between the two countries.
According to him, Dwidayatour has expressed its commitment to expanding the sales and promotion of Malaysian tourism products through its extensive network covering 26 cities across Indonesia, supported by about 57 branches and online platforms.
“To cater to Indonesian travellers’ preferences, they will promote multi-destination travel packages with flexible itineraries ranging from three to seven days to enhance the overall travel experience and spending potential.
“They also plan to adopt strategies such as roadshows, familiarisation trips and social media campaigns to widen market reach,” he added.
Tiong said both sides also explored the potential of the luxury tourism segment, particularly golf tourism, which typically involves high-income travellers who stay longer and have greater purchasing power.
“Malaysia, with more than 200 golf courses, has a strong foundation to be developed as a high-impact regional golf tourism destination,” he said.
He added that discussions included the possibility of integrating golf events with tourism activities, such as organising joint tournaments and regional-level competitions to boost international visibility and attract more premium tourists.
“In addition, products combining golf experiences with cultural tourism can be tailored to suit different market needs,” he said.
Tiong also said the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture aims to strengthen collaboration with Indonesian industry players through Tourism Malaysia, including organising familiarisation visits, joint promotions and product development initiatives.
“I emphasise that the Indonesian market holds immense potential. Moving forward, we will continue to promote a diverse range of tourism products — from mass tourism to premium segments — simultaneously, to attract more Indonesian visitors to Malaysia and sustain the growth momentum for Visit Malaysia Year 2026,” he said.
