Maybank expects Malaysia’s tourism budget to boost RWG visits

The Malaysian government has allocated MYR500m (US$122.1m) to promote tourism in the country.

Malaysia.- Analysts at Maybank Investment Bank have predicted the funds the government of Malaysia has allocated for tourism promotion -MYR550m (US$122.1m) – in its 2025 budget proposal, could quickly bolster consumer confidence towards Resorts World Genting (RWG), the country’s casino resort.

Analyst Samuel Yin Shao Yang noted the funds are primarily designated for Visit Malaysia Year 2026. However, he said historically, upturns in the Malaysian tourism sector occur not during Visit Malaysia Years but in the years leading up to them. He projected visitor arrivals at RWG to reach 25.2 million in 2025 and 25.7 million in 2026, respectively.

RWG is located at Genting Highlands, near the capital Kuala Lumpur, and is operated by Genting Malaysia. Maybank said that the increase in tourism is expected to be driven by both domestic and foreign visitors, which typically comprise 15 to 20 per cent of the venue’s arrivals. Chinese, Indian and domestic tourists are expected to drive growth as Malaysia introduced 15 days of visa-free entry for both groups in December 2023 and last December it was extended to 30 days, and the entire program was prolonged until December 2026 to support Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

According to analysts, the budget for Visit Malaysia Year 2026 represents the largest allocation for tourism promotion ever made by the country’s authorities. The government aims to welcome 31.4 million foreign tourists in 2025 and 35.6 million in 2026 and to reach foreign tourism revenues of MYR125.5bn and MYR147.1bn for those years. Yin said these figures mark a rise compared to the estimated 24.5 million arrivals and MYR97.8bn in receipts for 2024.