Tourism Malaysia ends tour of Saudi Arabia as part of a new strategy

Published on : Tuesday, May 31, 2022

Tourism Malaysia has ended a tour of Saudi Arabia due to a new strategy for boosting Malaysia as a prominent tourist destination internationally.Malaysia reopened its borders for all international travelers on April 1.

A visit to the Kingdom is aimed toward attracting international tourists and promoting robust recovery in the Malaysian tourism sector.

From May 21-29, the tourism officials of Malaysia toured the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Dammam and Jeddah.

Dato Seri Ramlan Ibrahim, the chairman of Tourism Malaysia, came to the Kingdom along with travel agents, hotel owners, resort owners and government tourism authorities.

The authority’s representatives discussed with tour operators, media representatives and senior Saudi executives regarding review facilities and important places of attraction in Malaysia, and showcasing the possibilities presented by the Malaysian tourism sector.

Regarding tourism spending, the Saudi market adds the highest per capita to Malaysia. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saudi tourists in Malaysia spent around 11,660 ringgits ($2,673) on a stay of 10.8 nights.

In 2019, before pandemic started and gradually spread globally, Malaysia witnessed 397,726 tourists from the Middle East and North Africa. Saudi Arabia grabbed the top spot in the Malaysian market with 121,444 tourists — which is equal to 30 percent of entrances from the West Asia and North Africanareas. It was an increase of 8.2 percent compared to the year before.