Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd (MAG) has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Tourism Malaysia for a three-year partnership aimed at supporting the country’s tourist arrivals targets.

“We look forward working with Tourism Malaysia, leveraging our strengths as a national carrier and aviation hub to pursue sustainable traffic growth in an increasingly competitive landscape,” MAG chief executive officer of airlines Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi said at the signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur.

“With our strong network and track record of working with partners through trade and consumer initiatives, we’re well-placed to support the nation’s tourism ambitions. This partnership reinforces MAG’s commitment to supporting the goals of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) through positioning Malaysia as the gateway for Asia and beyond,” he added.

Luqman said the MoU will lead to the development and implementation of a three-year partnership program in key international markets, not just in the leisure passenger segment but also in meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and transit passengers.

The partnership will also anchor Malaysia Airlines’ Bonus Side Trip (BST) offering, which provides passengers with a complimentary flight to a domestic destination on the Malaysia Airlines network.

Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia Director-General Manoharan Periasamy said the country aims to welcome 35.6 million tourists, generating target receipts of RM147.1bil under its Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) programme.

This year alone, Malaysia hopes to attract 27.3 million arrivals with RM102.7 billion in tourism revenue.