It was recently revealed that Malaysia appears to be the top destination for foreign visitors in 2023. According to statistics released by the Immigration Department, up to 26 million tourists visited Malaysia in 2023. These numbers are recorded from 1 January 2023 to 15 November 2023.
Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC), Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, said he hopes that tourist numbers continue to increase, especially following the implementation of the 30-day visa exemption for travellers from India and China from 1 December.
Over 12 million visitors arrive via Singapore
According to the statistics released, up to 12,645,364 tourists originated from Singapore, making up the largest number when sorting by country. This is followed by Indonesia with 3,166,295, Thailand with 2,073,162, China with 1,407,471, Brunei with (904,841), and India (780,532), Bernama reports. The remaining tourists were from other countries.
For comparison, here is a list of the top 5 countries in SEA in terms of foreign tourists.
- Malaysia – 26 million
- Thailand – 24.6 million
- Singapore – 11.3 million
- Vietnam – 11.2 million
- Indonesia – 9.9 million
26.1 million visitors in 2019
We have yet to see the total amount that tourists spent in Malaysia for 2023 but the number of visitors have bounced back to pre-pandemic years.
In an earlier media statement, the ministry had highlighted that total tourism receipts until June 2023 amounted to RM49.2 billion.
According to the Tourism Ministry, tourists spent RM86.1 billion in 2019 while in Malaysia. So far, the signs are looking good that the tourism industry is on the mend as we head into 2024.
