By Shane McGinley

More of this topic

Posted inTravel & Hospitality

Malaysia sees 22% surge in visitors from Arab countries

The biggest spenders were those from Saudi Arabia, followed by the UAE

By Shane McGinley
Total spending by Arab visitors hit 3.8 billion Malaysian Ringgit ($916 million), with the biggest spenders coming from Saudi Arabia.
Total spending by Arab visitors hit 3.8 billion Malaysian Ringgit ($916 million), with the biggest spenders coming from Saudi Arabia.

Around a fifth more tourists from Arab countries visited Malaysia last year, according to the latest figures released.

Around 33,000 visitors from Arab countries visited Malaysia in 2018, a 22 percent increase on the year before, according to a report by Bernama – the Malaysian National News Agency.

Total spending by Arab visitors hit 3.8 billion Malaysian Ringgit ($916 million), with the biggest spenders coming from Saudi Arabia, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iran and Kuwait, according to Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture.

The minister said Malaysia has been engaging in marketing activities in the Arab region, with one radio station in Dubai airing a tourism promotion 20 times a day. He said his ministry is aiming to attract 35,000 visitors from Arab countries in 2019.

Follow us on

For all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.