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
3-MIN READ3-MINIman Muttaqin YusofPublished: 4:00pm, 29 Jun 2026Malaysia’s bet on Chinese tourists is increasingly being shaped by the same forces influencing their itineraries: short videos, lifestyle apps, online personalities and newly opened routes from beyond China’s biggest cities.Tourism Malaysia confirmed the focus, saying its Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign in China included “digital marketing, key opinion leader (KOL) collaborations, short-video content, and themed initiatives”.
But the agency did not disclose how much it was spending on China-facing promotions or influencer-led campaigns, saying the “implementation and scale” of campaigns 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. “For the China market, Tourism Malaysia promotional efforts are primarily focused on engaging both the travel trade and consumers.”
Those efforts 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”.
