Malaysia seeks to attract more tourists from New Zealand

Malaysia’s Tourism Malaysia is increasing efforts to attract more tourists from Oceania, with a particular focus on New Zealand. According to Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof, senior director of Tourism Malaysia’s International Promotion Division, New Zealand is a crucial market for Malaysia in the Oceania region. To strengthen relations and promote tourism, Tourism Malaysia will be launching a week-long Sales Mission and Malaysia’s Product Seminar in Oceania from August 26 to September 3. The roadshow will start in Auckland and include events to foster closer relationships between Malaysian tourism operators, the Sabah government and Labuan, and travel agents from Penang.

Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof expressed his excitement about Batik Air’s expanded flight frequency, which now offers six-weekly flights to the Australasia region. Malaysia Airlines also provides eight direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Auckland. With increased flight options and strategic roadshows, the aim is to attract more tourists from New Zealand to Malaysia. In 2022, Malaysia welcomed 18,000 tourists from New Zealand, and this number is expected to rise due to expanded flight options and intensified promotional activities.

As of June 2023, Malaysia has already received 17,972 visitors from New Zealand. Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof believes that this figure indicates a promising increase compared to the previous year. On average, tourists from New Zealand spend one to two weeks exploring Malaysia’s offerings. As part of their efforts to attract more tourists from New Zealand, Batik Air has launched a new route between Kuala Lumpur and Auckland, operating six times weekly via Perth, Australia.

The new service aims to provide convenient travel options for Malaysians looking to explore vibrant cities like Auckland, as well as for New Zealanders wanting to visit Malaysian destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Kuching, and Kota Kinabalu. Batik Air and Lion Group’s strategy director, Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy, hopes that tourists from New Zealand will take advantage of the reasonable rates and dedicated services offered by Batik Air to explore Malaysia and other intriguing locations they fly to. The industry is experiencing significant growth in the Australia-New Zealand regions.

Batik Air offers all-inclusive one-way promotional fares for the Kuala Lumpur to Auckland route at RM1,619 for economy class and RM5,319 for business class. The announcement was made during the arrival of passengers from Batik Air’s new expansion to the Australasia region at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Malaysia Airport’s aviation marketing and development senior manager, Zainuddin Mohamed, was also present.