Dubai, UAE, 5 December 2025: Tourism Malaysia has appointed VFS Global as its Marketing Representative agency in Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait. This strategic partnership with VFS Global will strengthen Malaysia’s tourism presence in the West Asia region, marking a significant step towards enhancing Malaysia’s visibility and engagement in these high-potential markets to drive tourist visitor-ship to the country.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries represent a highly important and growing source market for Malaysia’s tourism sector. In 2023, Malaysia welcomed 175,196 visitors from the West Asian region. In 2024, arrivals surged to 211,701, an increase of 20.8% compared to 2023, reflecting a strong growth trajectory. These markets consistently rank among the top five in tourist spending per capita and have a longer average length of stay, making them critical to Malaysia’s tourism growth strategy. Tourism Malaysia is gearing up for “Visit Malaysia Year 2026”, under the theme “Surreal Experiences.” The GCC markets are expected to contribute significantly to the destination’s visitor-ship and tourism receipts in 2026.
As the Marketing Representative agency for West Asia Region, VFS Global will act as a strategic partner for Tourism Malaysia in managing and executing marketing, promotional and brand building initiatives through dedicated offices. It will support comprehensive marketing and promotional campaigns, travel trade engagements and the PR and social media initiatives. VFS Global will also support the Embassy of Malaysia in tourism-related initiatives, ensuring a cohesive approach to promoting Malaysia as a preferred travel destination.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mohd Faharuddin Hatmin, Director of Tourism Malaysia Dubai, said:
“The West Asia region is a vital market for Malaysia’s tourism growth. By partnering with VFS Global, we aim to strengthen our outreach and deliver impactful campaigns that showcase Malaysia’s diverse attractions. This collaboration will help us build stronger connections with travelers and trade partners in Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait. In line with Visit Malaysia 2026, our strategies also focus on enhancing regional connectivity, including forging new airline partnerships, expanding direct flight access, and supporting seamless travel experiences for GCC visitors. These steps are essential to make travel to Malaysia more accessible and appealing for our target markets.”
GB Srithar, Head – Tourism Services, VFS Global, added: “We are happy to partner with Tourism Malaysia to amplify its presence across West Asia. With VFS Global’s deep expertise and proven track record in providing effective tourism representation and destination marketing services for more than 16 years, we are looking forward to help driving strong visitor-ship numbers to Malaysia. We are particularly excited that the partnership comes at the right time to support Tourism Malaysia in its “Visit Malaysia 2026” campaign. We aim to work closely together to enable meaningful connections between Malaysia and its target audiences, enticing them to visit and enjoy the country’s diverse and exhilarating experiences.”
Looking ahead to Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), Tourism Malaysia aims to further elevate the country’s global tourism presence, targeting 50 million international visitor arrivals through continous innovation and collaborative efforts. VM2026 will showcase Malaysia’s rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and sustainable tourism offerings, positioning the country as a world-class destination and a key contributor to national economic growth
About Tourism Malaysia
The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, better known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. It focuses on promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination and plays a vital role in positioning the country in the global tourism landscape.
The upcoming Visit Malaysia 2026 will celebrate the nation’s tourism resilience and commitment to sustainability in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
About VFS Global Tourism Services
VFS Global has established its regional and global footprints in the space of tourism services, complementing its core visa services business. With 16 years of experience, the Tourism Services Unit has served more than 25 destinations. The team partners client destinations, across different co untries, to enable the achievement of their travel and tourism promotional objectives and business targets. We specialize in destination representation, outsourced tourism office management and trade support services for national tourism authorities from client governments. We facilitate them in a wide range of destination promotional activities.
Some of the key services include dedicated tourism support offices, destination training, product development, B2B roadshows & workshops, consumer events, digital campaigns, MICE engagement program, public relations and e-learning modules. The team is able to partner client destinations across different countries to deliver the desired tourist arrival and spend targets.
About VFS Global
As the global leader in trusted technology services, empowering secure mobility for governments and citizens, VFS Global embraces technological innovation including Generative AI to support governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The company manages non-judgmental and administrative tasks related to applications for visa, passport, and consular services for its client governments, increasing productivity and enabling them to focus entirely on the critical task of assessment.
With a responsible approach to technology development, adoption and integration, the company prioritizes ethical practices and sustainability while serving as the trusted partner to 70 client governments. Operating over 3,900 Application Centres in 165 countries, VFS Global has efficiently processed more than 519 million transactions* since 2001.
Headquartered in Zurich and Dubai and majority owned through investment funds managed by Blackstone Inc, along with minority stakeholders including Swiss-based Kuoni and Hugentobler Foundation.*Comprised of 327 million transactions by VFS Global and 192 million transactions by CiX Citizen Experience