Malaysia Expected To Attract 900,000 Muslim Tourists in 2022

The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) is targeting to receive 900,000 Muslim tourists this year.

“Following the reopening of the country’s borders on April 1, Motac has held a series of working visits to promote Malaysia’s tourism products including Islamic tourism abroad.

“Apart from that, Motac will identify additional activities that can be carried out at 6,000 mosques nationwide as an added value to existing promotions,” she said after launching the 2022 Islamic Tourism Week organized by the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) on Friday. It is currently running until July 3, 2022.

As of April, a total of 460,000 Muslim tourists were reported to have arrived in the country. Malaysia is targeting the arrival of 230 million Muslim tourists by 2028 with projected revenue of US$225 billion (RM992.25 billion).

Nancy said the program is to showcase Malaysia as a diverse Islamic tourism destination with Muslim-friendly touristic experiences.

Events lined up throughout the week include art and cultural exhibitions, travel deals, attractive spa, and wellness experiences, self-development retreats, food and beverage promotions, and more.

She noted that recently Malaysia topped the travel and tourism list in Dinar Standard’s State of the Global Islamic Economy Report 2022 (SGIE Report).

“This further proves that Malaysia has the right ecosystem to fulfill Muslim travelers’ needs,” she added.

Meanwhile, ITC DG Datuk Mohmed Razib Hasan said the Islamic Tourism Week provides a platform for industry players to introduce their Muslim-friendly products and services.

ITC also will showcase mosques as tourist attractions such as the national mosque and more.

“This is a unique attraction as it binds the Islamic architecture, design, heritage, and culture.

“We aim to replicate the concept of the Great Mosque of Cordoba, one of the most celebrated in Spain,” Mohmed Razip said.