Tourism in Malaysia

Tourism in Malaysia is a major industry and contributor to the Malaysian economy. Malaysia was once ranked 9th in the world for tourist arrivals. In 2017, the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Malaysia 26 out of 141 countries using its Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) which measures the various components and policies of a country that are in place to allow for the sustainable development of its travel and tourism sectors.

In an effort to diversify Malaysia's economy and reduce its dependency on exports, the government pushed to increase tourism in Malaysia. This led tourism to become Malaysia's second largest source of foreign exchange income. In 2022, tourism contributed 14% to Malaysia's overall GDP.

The government agency in charge of promoting tourism in Malaysia is Tourism Malaysia or the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB). On 20 May 1987, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism (MOCAT) was established and TDC moved to this new ministry. TDC existed from 1972 to 1992, when it became the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB), through the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Act, 1992.

In 1990, Malaysia launched a tourism campaign called "Fascinating Malaysia. Year of Festivals" which was considered a success and brought in the arrivals of 7.4 million tourists. Five years later, in 1994, Malaysia launched another campaign themed "Fascinating Malaysia. Naturally More" which welcomed 10.22 million tourists. In 2007, Malaysia launched its most notable tourism campaign titled "Malaysia Truly Asia". This campaign was launched in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th year of independence and was heavily promoted and advertised. It exceeded expectations and was a massive success, chartering the arrivals of 20.97 million tourists. <!--pls wikify

Entering the country
Most nationalities can enter Malaysia without a visa and are normally issued 30, 60, or 90-day entry permit stamps. Some nationalities that are not eligible to enter without a visa can get a tourist visa on arrival; other nationalities must apply for a visa in advance. Most notably, holders of Israeli or Serbia-Montenegro passports are not allowed to visit Malaysia without separate, prior approval from the Home Ministry (a fairly routine but bureaucratic process). See the Immigration Department of Malaysia website for the current scoop.

By plane
Most international flights land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) ( | ); AirAsia flights now use the new LCC terminal, a 20km road transfer away from the main KLIA terminal. KLIA's predecessor, the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport ( | ) in Subang near Kuala Lumpur handles chartered and turboprop aircraft.

See the Kuala Lumpur "Get in" section for detailed airport information.

Other airports handling international flights are Johor Bahru, Langkawi, Malacca and Penang, plus Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) and Kuching (Sarawak).

National carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has an extensive worldwide network coverage and regularly ranks high in airline quality assessments, while no-frills low-cost carrier AirAsia now covers an ever-expanding set of neighbouring destinations including Cambodia, Indonesia, Macau, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

By train

 * To/from Thailand: Direct sleeper train services operated by the State Railway of Thailand connect Bangkok (Thailand) and Butterworth near Penang (Malaysia), while Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malaysian Railways)  runs trains between Hat Yai (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Both trains cross the border at Padang Besar where Thai and Malaysia immigration formalities are all conveniently done in the station. There is also a less used eastern route from Hat Yai to Thai border town Sungai Kolok, but there are no through trains to the nearby Malaysian station at Wakaf Bahru (near Kota Bharu).
 * To/from Singapore: Comfortable overnight sleeper and somewhat misnamed daytime "express" trains also connect Singapore with Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu. Bizarrely, tickets from Singapore are twice as expensive as those to Singapore; you can save quite a bit by taking the train from Johor Bahru instead.

By bus
Long-distances buses/coaches into Malaysia run from Brunei, Indonesian Borneo, Singapore and Thailand. Please see the relevant city pages for more details.
 * Brunei – buses connect Bandar Seri Begawan with several Sarawak cities. The most popular jumping-off point is Miri.
 * Indonesia – direct buses operate between Pontianak in West Kalimantan and Kuching in Sarawak.
 * Singapore – a multitude of bus companies operate direct routes from Singapore to various destinations in Peninsular Malaysia, including Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and East Coast cities. Frequent buses make the short run between Singapore and Johor Bahru. To save costs, many people coming in from Singapore make the short hop to Johor Bahru and catch coaches to other Malaysian destinations from there.
 * Thailand – several companies operate services from Kuala Lumpur and other cities in Malaysia to Hat Yai in southern Thailand, where direct connections are available to Bangkok and many other Thai destinations.

By road
Land crossings are possible from southern Thailand and Singapore into Peninsular Malaysia, as well as from Brunei and Kalimantan (the Indonesian side of Borneo) into Sarawak. An International Drivers Permit (IDP) is required. See the respective city or state pages for more detailed information.
 * Brunei – the main crossings are at Sungai Tujoh on the Miri, Sarawak, to Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) road, and the Kuala Lurah-Tedungan checkpoint which is used for traffic travelling between Bandar Seri Begawan and Limbang in Sarawak. You can also access the Temburong district of Brunei by road from Limbang (Sungai Pandaruan) and Lawas (Trusan).
 * Indonesia – the main crossing is at the Tebedu-Entikong checkpoint on the main Kuching-Pontianak road. Various other minor border crossings used by locals are not necessarily open to foreigners.
 * Singapore – the two crossings are the Causeway which links Johor Bahru with Woodlands in Singapore, and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link which links Tanjung Kupang in Johor with Tuas in Singapore. See Johor Bahru Get in section and Singapore Get in section for more details.
 * Thailand – international checkpoints (with the Thai towns in brackets) are at Wang Kelian (Satun) and Padang Besar (Padang Besar) in Perlis, Bukit Kayu Hitam (Sadao) in Kedah, Pengkalan Hulu (Betong) in Perak, Bukit Bunga and Rantau Panjang (Sungai Kolok) in Kelantan.

By boat
Ferries connect various points in Peninsular Malaysia with Sumatra in Indonesia and southern Thailand, Sarawak with Brunei, and Sabah with East Kalimantan in Indonesia and Mindanao in the Philippines. Luxury cruises also run from Singapore and sometimes Phuket (Thailand) to Malaysia.


 * Brunei – ferries daily between the Muara Ferry Terminal in Brunei and Labuan island and Lawas in Sarawak. Speedboats, mostly in the morning, also run between Bandar Seri Begawan jetty and Limbang, Sarawak.
 * Indonesia – the main jumping-off points from Indonesia are the Riau Islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun; Dumai, Medan and Pekanbaru on the Sumatra mainland as well as Nunukan in East Kalimantan. Ferries link Batam and Bintan with Johor Bahru; Karimun with Kukup in Johor; Dumai with Malacca, Muar in Johor, Port Dickson (in Negeri Sembilan) and Port Klang, the port for Kuala Lumpur; Pekanbaru with Malacca; and Medan's port of Belawan with Penang. Daily ferries also link Nunukan with Tawau in Sabah. There are also minor crossings like between Bengkalis in Riau, Sumatra and Malacca and Muar in Johor; and Tanjung Balai Asahan in North Sumatra with Port Klang, the port for Kuala Lumpur.
 * Philippines – ferries run between the Zamboanga Peninsula and Sandakan, Sabah.
 * Singapore – daily passenger boats run between Changi Point and Pengerang, Johor; daily vehicle ferries operate between Changi Ferry Terminal and Tanjung Belungkor, Johor. See the Singapore "Get in" section for details.
 * Thailand – four ferries daily (reduced to three during Ramadan) between Tammalang at Satun and Kuah on Langkawi, Malaysia. Vehicle ferries operate between Tak Bai in Narathiwat province and Pengkalan Kubur in Kelantan, Malaysia.

On foot
It is possible to walk across the Causeway between Singapore and Johor Bahru at the southern tip of Malaysia. You can also walk in/out of Thailand at Wang Kelian and Padang Besar (both in Perlis), Bukit Kayu Hitam (Kedah), Pengkalan Hulu (Perak) and Rantau Panjang (Kelantan). -->

Medical tourism
Medical tourism is popular in Malaysia, with the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council reporting an arrival of 641,000 foreign patients in 2011, 728,800 in 2012, 881,000 in 2013 and 882,000 in 2014. Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, a government agency with the aim of promoting medical tourism, was launched in 2009 as an initiative by the Ministry of Health.

Tourist arrivals
In 2016, Malaysia recorded 26,757,392 tourist arrivals, a growth of 4.0% compared to 25,721,251 in 2015. The table lists the top 15 arrivals to Malaysia by their origin countries.

Destinations and attractions

 * Sarawak River.jpg, Sarawak ]]Alor Setar – capital of Kedah, the state of the paddy fields
 * George Town – the capital city of Penang, one of the country's UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 7 July 2008.
 * Ipoh – capital of Perak, famous for its Chinese food, tin mines and limestone mountains and caves
 * Johor Bahru – capital of Johor, and gateway to Singapore
 * Kangar – capital of Perlis, and gateway to Thailand
 * Kota Kinabalu – capital of Sabah, nearest city to Mount Kinabalu
 * Kota Bharu – capital of Kelantan, and gateway to Thailand
 * Kuala Terengganu – capital of Terengganu, famous for the turtles and beaches
 * Kuantan – capital of Pahang, noted for its many beaches
 * Kuching – capital of Sarawak, the Cat City of Malaysia
 * Malacca City – a historical city in Malaysia. This is the other cultural World Heritage Site in Malaysia since 7 July 2008.
 * Seremban – the capital of Negeri Sembilan, and the nearest cities to Port Dickson
 * Putrajaya – the administrative centre of Malaysia
 * Victoria – capital of Labuan, the offshore financial centre of Malaysia
 * Petaling Jaya – a satellite city located in the state of Selangor, and is in the proximity of Kuala Lumpur. It has the most commercial complexes in Malaysia.

Beside the main cities, there other town and places in Malaysia offer some special tourist attraction. Such as in Taiping for their landscape and local attraction. Teluk Intan for their Leaning tower. Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, Bukit Tinggi in Pahang and Kundasang in Sabah for a cool climate. Muar in Johor is famous for its food. Miri is the official tourism-city and resort city of Sarawak and Sibu in Sarawak is famous for its landscape and parks.

Islands and beaches
Malaysia has several tropical islands. Some of the islands in Malaysia are:


 * Kapas
 * Labuan
 * Langkawi
 * Lang Tengah
 * Mabul
 * Pangkor
 * Penang
 * Perhentian
 * Rawa
 * Redang
 * Sipadan
 * Tenggol
 * Tioman
 * Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park

National parks and nature reserves

 * Kubah National Park, Sarawak
 * Bako National Park, Sarawak – famed for its wildlife, especially Bornean bearded pigs and proboscis monkeys
 * Batang Ai National Park, Sarawak.
 * Gunung Buda National Park, Sarawak.
 * Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak
 * Gunung Gading National Park, Sarawak
 * Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak
 * Niah Caves National Park, Sarawak
 * Loagan Bunut National Park, Sarawak
 * Kinabalu National Park, Sabah – home of 4100 metre peak Mount Kinabalu
 * Taman Negara National Park – the world's oldest rainforest, spanning Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu
 * Endau Rompin National Park, Johor
 * Taman Eko Rimba, Kuala Lumpur - the nature reserve in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. The nature reserve is located near Kuala Lumpur Tower.
 * Kinabenuwa Wetland & Mangrove Forest, Labuan

Other places of interest

 * A' Famosa Resort, Malacca
 * Aquaria KLCC, KL
 * Bakelalan, Sarawak
 * Bario, Sarawak
 * Batu Caves, Selangor
 * Batu Ferringhi, Penang
 * Berjaya Hills Resort, Pahang
 * Berjaya Times Square, KL
 * Bukit Bintang, KL
 * Cameron Highlands, Pahang
 * Central Market, KL
 * Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Malacca
 * Chin Swee Caves Temple, Pahang
 * Crystal Mosque, Terengganu
 * Dhammikarama Burmese Temple, Penang
 * Fort Cornwallis, Penang
 * Fraser's Hill, Pahang
 * Genting Highlands, Pahang
 * Gurney Drive, Penang
 * Islamic Arts Museum, KL
 * Kampung Baru, KL
 * Kek Lok Si, Penang
 * Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, Pahang
 * Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, KL
 * Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park, KL
 * Kuala Lumpur Tower, KL
 * Labuan Bird Park, Labuan
 * Labuan Botanical Gardens, Labuan
 * Labuan Financial Park Complex, Labuan
 * Labuan Maritime Museum, Labuan
 * Labuan Kwang Fook Kong Temple, Labuan
 * Labuan War Cemetery, Labuan
 * Long Pasia, Sipitang, Sabah
 * Masjid Negara, KL
 * Merdeka Square, KL
 * Mines Wellness City, Selangor
 * Muzium Negara, KL
 * National Monument, KL
 * Penang Hill, Penang
 * Perdana Botanical Gardens, KL
 * Petronas Twin Towers, KL
 * Poh San Teng Temple, Malacca
 * Snake Temple, Penang
 * Sri Mahamariamman Temple, KL
 * Stadium Merdeka, KL
 * Sultan Abdul Samad Building, KL
 * Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, Selangor
 * Sunway Lagoon, Selangor
 * Thean Hou Temple, KL
 * Wat Chetawan, Selangor
 * Wat Phothivihan, Kelantan
 * Zoo Negara, Selangor