TIN Media - Tourism & Beyond

04/08/2026

💼🇲🇾 **RM26.7 BILLION. That's what Malaysia's Business Events industry has generated — and MBEW 2026 just kicked off to celebrate it.**

**Malaysia Business Events Week (MBEW) 2026** — MyCEB's flagship gathering, now in its **11th edition** — is happening at KL Convention Centre, 3-5 August! 🎉

**The numbers behind Malaysia's MICE industry 👇**

📊 **3,575+ business events** secured to date
👥 **4.5 MILLION delegates** welcomed
💰 **RM26.7 BILLION** in economic impact — cumulative!

**And the future pipeline?**
🌏 **416 international events** secured for 2026-2030
💵 RM3.98 billion in future economic impact — already locked in!

**Just this year alone (Jan-June 2026):**
✅ 194 business events hosted
✅ 341,182 delegates
✅ RM1.81 billion generated

This year's theme: **"Weaving Horizons: Shaping the Tapestry of Tomorrow"** — inspired by Malaysia's own weaving heritage. 🧵

MyCEB Chairman Dr. Sivakumar said it best:
*"Business events today are far more than meetings and conferences. They are powerful platforms that connect people, attract investment, foster innovation, create employment, and strengthen Malaysia's global competitiveness."*

**500+ delegates from Malaysia and 8 countries. 3 days. 1 mission — shaping the future of Business Events in Malaysia.** 🙌

📌 *Follow TIN Media for the latest MICE and tourism news.*

02/08/2026

✈️🇸🇦🇲🇾 **A NEW national carrier just touched down in KL — and it's history in the making.**

**Riyadh Air** landed at KLIA today — marking the Saudi national carrier's FIRST-EVER route into Southeast Asia, and Malaysia was chosen as the destination! 🎉

**The details 👇**

✈️ Route: Riyadh ↔️ Kuala Lumpur
🛫 3x weekly — Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays
🛩️ Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner — up to 290 passengers per flight
🎊 Welcomed with a full ceremonial reception at KLIA

Tourism Malaysia DG Mohd Amirul Rizal said it best:
*"We are deeply honoured that Riyadh Air has chosen Malaysia as its maiden destination within Southeast Asia. This landmark decision reflects our strong bilateral ties and underscores immense confidence in Malaysia as a world-class destination."*

**Why does this matter so much? 👇**

💰 Saudi travellers = high spenders, longer stays
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Strong preference for FAMILY travel
🕌 Malaysia's Muslim-friendly reputation makes us a natural fit
🌿 Nature, heritage, luxury shopping, gastronomy, wellness — all under one roof

Malaysia just became Riyadh Air's gateway into Southeast Asia. That's not a small deal — that's history. 🙌

Welcome to Malaysia, Riyadh Air! 🇸🇦🇲🇾

📌 *Follow TIN Media for the latest aviation and tourism news.*

01/08/2026

🛒🇲🇾 Shop at MYDIN. Win a holiday. It's that simple.

Tourism Malaysia and MYDIN just launched "Jom Jalan MYDIN" — combining shopping with domestic travel, running 23 July to 30 September! 🎉

What's up for grabs? 👇

🏖️ Domestic travel packages
🚢 Cruise experiences
🏨 Hotel stays sponsored by Tabung Haji Travel
🎁 Vouchers & rewards
💰 Total prizes worth over RM5 MILLION!

How it works:
🎯 Head to selected MYDIN outlets nationwide
🕵️ Take part in the Treasure Hunt — complete challenges while discovering tourism attractions along the way!
🛍️ Shop local, support Malaysian SMEs & MSMEs, and stand a chance to win

Mydin MD Datuk Wira Ameer Ali Mydin says the goal is to turn MYDIN outlets into real destinations — not just places to shop:
"Mydin remains committed to supporting local products by providing opportunities for SMEs and MSMEs across the country to showcase their products."

And the numbers behind it? Domestic visitor spending hit RM34 BILLION in Q1 2026 alone — up 15.8%! And 74.7 million Malaysians travelled domestically in the same period — up 7.2%! 📈

Shopping tourism is BIG business — and now it comes with a chance to win your next holiday. 🙌

Head to your nearest MYDIN and start hunting! 🇲🇾

📌 Follow TIN Media for the latest tourism news.

01/08/2026

🏔️🇲🇾 Malaysia's #1 destination for overnight travellers? Pahang.

The Department of Statistics Malaysia just confirmed it: Pahang recorded 11 MILLION overnight domestic tourists in 2025 — the highest of ANY state in Malaysia! 🏆

Why does Pahang keep winning? 👇

⛰️ Genting Highlands
🌲 Cameron Highlands
🏕️ Fraser's Hill & Bukit Tinggi, Bentong
🌿 Janda Baik
🌳 Taman Negara
🏝️ Pulau Tioman
🗺️ Lipis Geopark

The bigger picture 👇

📊 Malaysia's domestic tourism overall: 290.1 million visitors in 2025 — up 11.5%!
💰 RM121.3 BILLION in domestic spending — up 13.6%!
🛏️ Average stay: up to 2.56 nights

Pahang alone welcomed 23.2 million total domestic visitors last year — and the momentum keeps building. From 10.18 million in 2022, to 13.2 million in 2023, to 13.7 million in 2024, to now leading the whole country. 📈

Highlands. Rainforest. Islands. Geoparks. Pahang has it all — and Malaysians know it. 🙌

📌 Follow TIN Media for the latest tourism news.

30/07/2026

🏨🇲🇾 **A new hotel just opened in Kuching — and it's tied to something much bigger.**

**voco Kuching** by IHG officially opened its doors on 28 July — transforming the former Four Points into one of Kuching's finest hotels! 🎉

Political commentator Dato Peter Minos says the timing couldn't be better, calling it "an opportune boost" as Sarawak ramps up its tourism ambitions. 📈

**Here's why it matters 👇**

*"Good hotels are absolutely needed for a successful tourism sector. They are just as important as connectivity, tourist attractions and food."*

**And Sarawak's connectivity IS moving fast:**

🚈 The ART (Autonomous Rapid Transit) system — voco Kuching sits right near a station!
🌉 Coastal roads & bridges under construction
🛣️ Pan Borneo Highway expansion
✈️ **Tanjung Embang Airport** — proposed, aiming to boost tourism by 2030!
🛫 AirBorneo — Sarawak's OWN airline, generating real excitement locally!

Why voco Kuching specifically works? 🤔
📍 Prime location — walking distance to food, retail & public transport
✅ Affordable, safe, clean — exactly what travellers look for
🌏 A brand international travellers already know and trust

This is what a state building its tourism ecosystem piece by piece looks like — hotels, transport, airports, all moving together. 🙌

Welcome to Kuching, voco. 🇲🇾

📌 *Follow TIN Media for the latest tourism news.*

30/07/2026

📊🇲🇾 **Penang is disputing the official numbers again — and here's the argument.**

Penang's Tourism Exco Wong Hon Wai says the **DOSM Domestic Tourism Survey 2025** shouldn't be treated as the final word on the state's tourism performance. 🗣️

**Here's why 👇**

📋 It's a SAMPLE survey — not actual hotel records
🏠 Based on household questionnaires, not on-the-ground data
🚫 Not conducted at airports, hotels or tourist sites
🌏 2,830 sample blocks nationwide — only **205 in Penang**
🚗 Includes DAY-TRIPPERS and people just visiting family — not real "tourists" in the economic sense

Wong's point: real hotel guest data tells a different story.
*"The data obtained are not actual hotel accommodation records but are constructed based on sampling models and survey responses."*

This isn't new — Penang made the SAME case against last year's DOSM survey too, when the numbers put Perak ahead of Penang. Back then, Tourism Malaysia's own data showed Penang with 8.2 million total tourists (5.2M domestic hotel guests + 3M+ international) — well ahead of Perak's reported 4.18M domestic hotel stays.

Two years running, same debate. Sampling vs. hotel records. Which number should we trust? 🤔

📌 *Follow TIN Media for the latest tourism news.*

29/07/2026

🌍✈️ Global tourism grew despite conflict disruption — and Malaysia has been quietly capturing the overflow.

UN Tourism just confirmed: 307 million people travelled internationally in Q1 2026 — up 2% globally, DESPITE the ongoing Middle East conflict disrupting travel patterns worldwide. 📊

Here's the twist 👇

✈️ Middle East air traffic: DOWN 16% in Q1 2026 (IATA)
🌍 Every OTHER region: still growing
📉 UN Tourism has cut its full-year growth forecast by 1-2 percentage points because of the conflict's ripple effects

UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nuwais said it plainly:
"The ongoing conflict in the Middle East is disrupting travel patterns well beyond the region itself... this is placing pressure on travellers, businesses and destinations alike."

But here's the part that matters most for us 👇

UN Tourism says uncertain air connectivity and rising airfares are redirecting travel demand toward closer, more accessible destinations.

Sound familiar? 🇲🇾

That's EXACTLY what we've been seeing all year — record China arrivals, a first-ever Central Asia surge, Malaysia's record Q1 numbers, and VM2026 riding a wave of travellers looking for stable, accessible alternatives.

Global disruption. Malaysia's opportunity. 💪

📌 Follow TIN Media for the latest global and Malaysian tourism insights.

29/07/2026

🎨🇲🇾 **3,500 performers. 700 international visitors. One unforgettable celebration of Malaysia.**

Citrawarna 2026 lit up Dataran Merdeka this weekend — and it was EVERYTHING! 🌈🎉

PM Anwar Ibrahim and Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing were there to witness the magic of the **Colours of Parade** — 3,500 performers representing ALL 13 states, 3 Federal Territories, and Malaysia's beautiful multicultural communities! 💃🕺

**What made this year's Citrawarna special 👇**

🎭 **Colours of Parade** — culture on full display
🍜 **Colours of Flavour** — 70+ food & beverage offerings!
🎨 **Colours of Art** — 10+ arts & crafts booths
🕌 **Colours of Culture** — 20+ cultural activity stations

Visitors got hands-on with batik painting, ketupat weaving, traditional culinary demos, heritage games and MORE! 🧵🍚

**And international travellers flew in from 👇**

🇨🇳 China | 🇮🇳 India | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 🇯🇵 Japan | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | 🇮🇹 Italy | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 🇫🇷 France

700+ people, choosing Malaysia's culture as their reason to visit. 🙌

Plus live performances by Wani Kayrie, Bulan Asryaff, Dr Soo Wincci, Santesh Kumar, Ernie Zakri, Aina Abdul & Kumpulan Balle-Balle! 🎤

This is what VM2026 looks like when the whole nation shows up. 🇲🇾💛

📌 *Follow TIN Media for the latest tourism news.*

29/07/2026

🏎️🇲🇾 F1 IS BACK IN MALAYSIA. After 9 years, Sepang roars back to life.

Formula 1 and the FIA just confirmed it — Sepang International Circuit will host the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix from 2-4 October 2026! 🏁🎉

The story behind it 👇

The Bahrain GP couldn't be held in Bahrain this year due to regional conflict. Instead of dropping the race entirely, F1, the FIA, and the governments of Malaysia and Bahrain came together — and chose Sepang. 🤝

And here's the part that makes it even sweeter:

💰 In 2017, hosting the Malaysian GP cost the country HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS
💰 This time? ZERO registration fees. Malaysia's only cost is ~RM16 million in track upgrades!

PM Anwar Ibrahim:
"Alhamdulillah, after more than a decade we are hosting again... This time, we are organising without paying registration fees to the company — it's free."

Why Sepang? 🏎️
Sepang hosted the Malaysian GP from 1999-2017 — one of F1's most iconic, challenging tracks, famous for wild tropical weather and unforgettable racing. Now it's back on the world stage.

The bonus for race fans? 🌏
Sepang lands just ONE WEEK before the Singapore GP — meaning fans can turn this into an epic back-to-back Southeast Asian motorsport weekend! ✈️

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali:
"This is fantastic news for our fans."

Sepang. Global spotlight. October 2-4. Get ready, Malaysia. 🇲🇾🏁

📌 Follow TIN Media for the latest tourism and sports news.

26/07/2026