Travel news in Malaysia
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The Danna Langkawi ranked No. 1 beach resort in Malaysia 2026
The Danna Langkawi Resort & Beach Villas at Pantai Kok, Langkawi, has been ranked No. 1 in Malaysia's Top Ten People's Choice ranking of beach resorts for 2026. The recognition is based on guest sentiment and highlights personalised service amid growing competition in Langkawi's luxury hospitality sector.
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Batik Air to launch Subang-Bali and Penang-Batam routes in October
Batik Air will begin direct flights from Subang to Bali on 20 October and from Penang to Batam on 18 October. The Subang-Bali service will operate four times weekly while Penang-Batam will run three times weekly. Batik Air CEO Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy said the new services were introduced following sustained travel demand between Malaysia and Indonesia.
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Hilton Burau Bay Langkawi Resort officially opens
Hilton Burau Bay Langkawi Resort was officially launched in Langkawi, Kedah, on Sept 10, following a soft opening earlier this year. Tradewinds Corp group MD Amrin Awaluddin said the resort reflects investor confidence in Langkawi and should benefit the local economy and community. The Sultan of Kedah and Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor attended the ceremony.
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Anwar meets Kerala Chief Minister and Governor in Kozhikode
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is meeting Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar in Calicut (Kozhikode) today to discuss bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Kerala. Talks are expected to focus on trade and investment, tourism, healthcare and education, along with meetings with Indian industry figures. The visit is part of Anwar's five-day working trip to India after the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit in New Delhi, before he departs for the Maldives.
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Snowdan: Sarawak's 34 ethnic groups can boost cultural tourism
Sarawak deputy tourism minister Datuk Snowdan Lawan said the state's 34 recognised ethnic groups are an untapped cultural tourism asset that Sarawakians themselves should learn about first. He spoke at the Miss Sarawak Tourism 2026 grand finale at Riverside Majestic Hotel in Kuching on Saturday night, where Ng Ka Sing of Stampin was crowned winner. The winner and runner-up will represent Sarawak at Miss Malaysia Tourism 2026 in Ipoh, Perak.
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Sabah urges joint state-federal mechanism on Semporna tourism issues
Sabah Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing Datuk Maijol Mahap has called for closer coordination between state and federal authorities to tackle tourist safety, cleanliness and tourism service issues in Semporna. He said the matter was raised during a courtesy call in Kota Kinabalu by Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Chiew Choon Man, with talks on a joint memorandum and an integrated one-stop committee.
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Thailand plans 450 baht entry fee for tourists, seeks public feedback
Thailand's government is seeking public feedback until September 28 on a proposed 450 baht (about S$17.39) entry fee for foreign tourists. The Tourism and Sports Ministry announced the plan, which would apply uniformly to arrivals by air, land or sea, with collection targeted for the first quarter of 2027 after cabinet approval and royal gazette publication. About 33 million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year.
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Anwar's Kerala visit to explore new cooperation in wellness tourism, education, trade
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is on an official visit to Kerala. The trip is expected to open new cooperation opportunities between Malaysia and South India in wellness tourism, education, trade and investment. Anwar will also meet Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar.
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ITM 2026 returns in September, aims to keep Malaysia top Muslim-friendly destination
Islamic Tourism Month (ITM) 2026 runs through September with more than 100 hotels, theme parks, convention centres and tourism products recognised under the MFAR programme. The Islamic Tourism Centre event is held as Malaysia keeps the number one spot in the Global Muslim Travel Index 2026 for the 11th straight year. ITM sales and promotion value rose to RM2.64 million in 2025 from RM2.59 million in 2024.
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Tourism Malaysia steps up Saudi Arabia promotion ahead of VM2026-2027
Tourism Malaysia is intensifying tourism promotion in Saudi Arabia through an industry networking programme in Riyadh, following a July engagement session in Jeddah. Its Jeddah director Zaidi Kassim said Saudi Arabia remains a key market, with 17,302 Saudi arrivals recorded between January and June 2026. He said Malaysia will keep pushing its Muslim-friendly destination appeal for Visit Malaysia Year 2026-2027.
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Muay Thai in Miri can be a tourism draw, says deputy minister
Sarawak Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Chiew Yew said the Miri Amateur Muay Thai Challenge (MAMC) can be considered for Miri's tourism event calendar if held consistently. He said participants from Sarawak, Peninsular Malaysia and Brunei not only enliven the sport but could spill over into tourism and local business. The two-day event ran from 11 to 12 September.
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Riding a motorcycle to Betong, a first-time experience
The writer recounts his first trip taking his own motorcycle across the Malaysia-Thailand border to Betong in Yala province. He was surprised when a Thai immigration officer asked the colour of his vehicle, and relieved when the paperwork was done in 10 minutes. In Betong he found he could speak Malay and even pay with Malaysian Ringgit.
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Bagan Datuk fishing villages, sunflower garden and Sky Mirror draw visitors
Bagan Datuk in Perak, about three hours from Kuala Lumpur, is being promoted as a quieter coastal getaway. Attractions include the Bagan Sungai Burung fishing village, a 1.5-hectare sunflower garden, the Sungai Burung Aquarium and the Sky Mirror at Beting Beras Basah, a sandbank reached by a 15-minute boat ride from Bagan Datuk jetty.
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Anwar and Putin discuss direct flights, palm oil exports in New Delhi
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held a roughly 20-minute bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Hotel ITC Maurya in New Delhi, on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit. Talks focused on opening direct flights, visa-free travel, boosting Malaysian palm oil exports to Russia, and a special mechanism to speed up bilateral agreements. Anwar also conveyed greetings from Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim and renewed the King's invitation for a state visit to Malaysia.
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MEP21 takes Perlis sports events to Asian road race forum in Thailand
MEP21 joined The 5th Asia Road Race Forum 2026 in Bangsaen, Chonburi, Thailand, with 120 industry players from 25 countries. It promoted three Perlis events - Nakawan Ultra, PUTRA-Perlis Ultra Marathon and The Northernmost Night Run-Padang Besar Half Marathon - and discussed partnerships with international races for 2027.
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Malaysia records 10.74 million Singapore tourist arrivals in first half of 2026
Malaysia recorded 10.74 million tourist arrivals from Singapore in the first half of 2026, up 4.39 per cent from the same period last year. Malaysia's High Commissioner to Singapore, Datin Paduka Anizan Siti Hajjar Adnin, said the rise reflects Singaporeans' enduring goodwill towards Malaysia. She spoke at the launch of the Rasa Malaysia 2026 campaign, a culinary showcase running at a hotel in Singapore from 11 September to 9 October with Tourism Malaysia, STATOS and STTOS.
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Tunggul Melati Trail draws 1,525 runners from 25 countries
The second edition of the Tunggul Melati Trail (TMT) in Dengkil, Selangor, brought together 1,525 participants from 25 countries across trails in Sepang and Nilai. The three-day event offered six categories including 85km and 65km, with local winners in the open categories. TMT has now been nominated for the Asia Trail Master 2026.
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Shafie urges review of airline fees to curb rising airfares
Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has called on the government to review airline operating cost components such as landing charges to ease the burden on carriers and curb ticket price hikes. Speaking in Semporna, the Warisan president warned that high airfares could hurt Sabah's tourism sector by pushing travellers to other destinations.
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Borneo Adventure Hunt launched in Kota Kinabalu, named global finalist at Auggie Awards
A Sabah-developed digital tourism campaign combining augmented reality, gamification and location-based exploration was launched at the Digital and IoT Sandbox in Kota Kinabalu on Thursday. Borneo Adventure Hunt, built by Jalin Creative Sdn Bhd and Reviewbah Sdn Bhd, was named a Top 6 global finalist in the Best Location-Based Entertainment category at the Auggie Awards 2026 in Long Beach, California.
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Australian, US tourists tour KL heritage by Vespa
Fifteen Australian tourists and three from the United States were taken around Kuala Lumpur on Vespa scooters recently. They visited Medan Selera Pudu, Kwai Chai Hong in Chinatown and Little India in Brickfields to sample Malay, Chinese and Indian food and culture.
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China's new exit-entry rules take effect Sep 15; Singapore tour operators and travellers see little impact
China's new exit-entry regulations take effect on Sep 15, giving authorities more power to question travellers and request electronic data, and imposing a one-to-five-year entry ban for false information. A Singaporean retiree travelling the Karakoram Highway and a Singapore-based tour operator said the rules are not aimed at tourists. Analysts say the changes largely codify existing practice while allowing more selective intervention in sensitive cross-border movements.
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AI is being used to plan holidays, but human judgement still matters
Travellers are increasingly using AI tools to plan itineraries, compare hotels and narrow down choices, according to this feature. Communications manager Jeanne Lim says she began using AI for travel planning in the past three months, while an ESSEC Business School academic says the technology reduces the cognitive load of planning. The article notes that human judgement still matters when money, bookings and disruptions are involved.
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Malaysian embassy in Jakarta advises citizens to check flight status
The Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta has advised Malaysians planning to travel to Indonesia to check their flight status with their airlines. Seven airports including Soekarno-Hatta were temporarily closed due to Anak Krakatau volcanic ash and reopened on Monday, but schedules are still being adjusted. Some Malaysians stranded on 6 and 7 September have reportedly returned home safely.
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Hari Budaya Go Malaysia 2026 launched in Kuala Lumpur
Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry secretary-general Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot said Malaysia's cultural diversity, traditions, arts and heritage remain a key strength in its position as a world-class tourism destination. He spoke at the launch of Hari Budaya Go Malaysia 2026 in Kuala Lumpur today, a platform to showcase the country's heritage to local and international tourists ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2026.