Tourism Malaysia has run a sales mission to St Petersburg and Moscow aimed at growing arrivals from Russia, part of a broader promotional push ahead of its Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 campaign.
The five-day mission, held between September 27 and October 1, was led by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing and brought together 15 representatives from Malaysian hotels, resorts, travel agents, tourism product operators and state tourism boards. The delegation ran business-to-business meetings and networking sessions with Russian travel trade partners, alongside gala dinners intended to strengthen industry relationships and thank partners for ongoing support. Alongside promoting Malaysia’s established attractions, including its beaches, rainforests and multicultural heritage, the mission introduced newer offerings such as its Surreal Experiences travel packages to the Russian market.
Tiong described Russia as an important market with strong growth potential for Malaysia, saying the mission aims to deepen ties with Russian travel trade partners and raise awareness of Malaysia among Russian travellers. He also called on Malaysian travel agents to promote the country more assertively, pointing to its destinations, food and cultural offerings as selling points.
The push is backed by early momentum. Russian arrivals to Malaysia rose 4.3% to 98,466 visitors between January and August 2026, up from 94,420 over the same period last year. Tourism Malaysia said the growth strengthens the case for continued targeted promotion in the market, positioning the Russia-focused push as one part of Visit Malaysia 2026–2027’s wider strategy of deepening airline and travel trade partnerships to expand the country’s international reach.