Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, director-general of Tourism Malaysia, expressed confidence that this goal is achievable, The Star reported.

To meet this target, the tourism industry must collaborate with all industry players, including product operators and state governments, to attract more visitors, he added.

As of February, Malaysia has seen a 31.3% increase in visitor numbers, reaching 6.7 million compared to 5.1 million during the same period last year, Bernama reported.

The main contributors to this growth are visitors from Singapore, China, and India.

Malaysia, named Asia’s most loved country in 2024 by the American finance website Insider Monkey, introduced a 30-day visa-free entry policy for Chinese and Indians citizens in December 2023 and has extended the scheme until 2026.

In 2024, Malaysia recorded 38 million arrivals, including 13 million excursionists, marking a 31.1% year-on-year increase and an 8.3% rise compared to pre-Covid levels in 2019, according to Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

Malaysia’s 45-million target exceeds that of Thailand, which expects to attract 38-39 million foreign arrivals this year.