New Delhi [India], August 19 (ANI): Malaysia is targeting around 2.1 million Indian tourist arrivals in 2026, with Tourism Malaysia stepping up promotional activities across India and seeking improved direct air connectivity to destinations beyond Kuala Lumpur, Tourism Malaysia Director General Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim said.Speaking to ANI here on Wednesday, Abdul Rahim said India remains one of Malaysia’s most important tourism markets and recorded around 1.5 million arrivals, representing a 14 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year.”India is a very important market. It’s a key market for us,” he said, noting that India is among Malaysia’s top five tourism source markets, alongside China, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia.He said Malaysia had initially set a target of 2.1 million Indian visitors for 2026, but tourist arrivals witnessed a decline in the first half of the year amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.”The number dropped a little bit in the first half of the year, minus 8 per cent growth,” he said, adding that Tourism Malaysia is now intensifying its promotional efforts in India to help achieve the target.Abdul Rahim said Malaysia is looking at Indian travellers across different segments and income groups, rather than focusing only on traditional leisure tourism.He said Tourism Malaysia and its partners, including airlines and travel industry associations, are conducting promotional activities in second- and third-tier Indian cities to expand the market.The promotional strategy, he said, includes wedding tourism, leisure travel and other specialised segments, with Malaysia seeking to attract both first-time and repeat Indian visitors.”Indian love to have weddings outside the country,” Abdul Rahim said, highlighting destination weddings as an important segment for Malaysia.Improving air connectivity between India and Malaysia is another key priority, according to Abdul Rahim. He said most of the existing connectivity is concentrated around Kuala Lumpur, and Tourism Malaysia is engaging airlines to explore more direct connections from India to other Malaysian destinations, including Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu and Sarawak.”We keep talking. We ask more funding from the government of Malaysia to help the airlines to come to Malaysia, so that we can have more new destinations to promote,” he said.Abdul Rahim said direct connectivity would be particularly important for Indian tourists, who often prefer flying directly to their holiday destinations rather than taking connecting flights.He cited strong demand on existing routes, saying Malaysia Airlines had reported a load factor of over 90 per cent on its Delhi-Kuala Lumpur flights, which he described as an indication of growing demand between the two countries.”That means the demand is growing and growing. So that’s why the connectivity between two countries is very important,” he said.Abdul Rahim also underlined the importance of India in ASEAN’s broader tourism strategy, saying Malaysia sees opportunities to promote multi-country ASEAN holidays to Indian travellers.He said packages combining destinations such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand could appeal to Indian tourists looking to visit multiple countries during a single trip.”Some Indians who want to take long leave, they take one time, and then they can visit three countries,” he said.He also pointed to growing interest among Indian travellers in specialised experiences such as golf tourism and beach holidays, saying Malaysia could leverage its destinations in Sabah and other regions as part of a wider ASEAN tourism offering.Abdul Rahim said stronger connectivity within ASEAN would therefore remain important as Malaysia seeks to attract more Indian tourists.”It’s very important for us to promote within the ASEAN countries to make sure that our connectivity with the ASEAN countries also,” he said.Notably, India continues to be one of Malaysia’s key international source markets, supported by an extensive network of more than 190 direct flights weekly, offering a seat capacity of over 37,000 seats per week. This strong air connectivity provides seamless access to Malaysia and continues to support sustained growth in visitor arrivals.Tourism remains a key pillar of bilateral cooperation and an important driver of people-to-people ties between Malaysia and India.During the visit of the Malaysian Prime Minister to India earlier this year, Malaysia appreciated the ‘Incredible India’ tourism campaign, whereas India welcomed Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign. Both sides underscored the importance of sustainable and inclusive tourism in supporting economic growth and mutual understanding.Both sides expressed their shared commitment to further deepening tourism cooperation and enhancing two-way visitor flows between the two countries.Acknowledging the vibrant people-to-people ties, the Leaders welcomed the ongoing visa liberalisation, which has bolstered tourist arrivals and business travel.They reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening air connectivity between Malaysia and India in the spirit of mutual trust, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. Recognising the continued growth in passenger demand and the importance of enhanced connectivity for tourism, trade and people-to-people exchanges, both Governments agreed to further deepen cooperation in the field of civil aviation.Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1957, Malaysia and India have built a partnership based on mutual respect and shared values, which was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) in August 2024. (ANI)(This content is sourced from a syndicated feed and is published as received. The Tribune assumes no responsibility or liability for its accuracy, completeness, or content.)