Malaysia

Following the landslide in Nepal, Malaysia's Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team established a forward base at Dhunche in Nepal's Rasuwa area on 8 Sep 2026 and began drone reconnaissance across 4 sectors between Syafrubesi and Timure, with rainfall hampering aerial data collection. The 10-member team, which left Malaysia on 5 Sep 2026, brought 12.4 tonnes of search and rescue equipment

Taiwan launched a “Return to Taiwan, Double the Luck” campaign on 1 Sep 2026 offering NT$5,000 (RM640) to repeat Malaysian visitors who last entered Taiwan on or after 1 Jan 2023, plus NT$3,000 (RM380) for a travelling companion, up to NT$8,000 (RM1,020). Corporate incentive groups receive a supplement of NT$1,000 per person per night, capped at NT$4,000 per person. Malaysian arrivals to Taiwan were 21,925 in Jun 2026, -18.99% YoY. A 76-member Taiwanese delegation representing 44 organisations attended MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur, where the Taiwan pavilion drew more than 10,000 visitors, followed by an event in Johor on 8 Sep at the Sheraton Johor Bahru Hotel with close to 100 representatives and more than 3,000 business meetings anticipated

Macao and Malaysia signed more than 60 cooperation agreements from over 120 business-matching sessions at the Macao Economic, Trade and Tourism Investment Promotion Seminar, prioritising Muslim-friendly tourism product development and multi-destination itinerary packaging linking Macao with the Greater Bay Area and Malaysia. 350 people took part in the event. Macao's “Tourism +” strategy has been extended to exhibitions, wellness and medical travel. Macao Union Medical Centre showcased advanced medical technologies and service modules under the “Tourism + Medical Care” program

The Brunei Tourism Development Department will take part in the Sabah International Expo 2026 from 4-6 Sep at the Sabah International Convention Centre, Kota Kinabalu. Brunei is seeking closer ties with Sabah and Sarawak on Borneo island, including tourism routes connecting destinations across national and state borders. The department will highlight Brunei’s culture and nature-based tourism assets through events and will support tourism SMEs. Sabah International Expo is a major regional trade platform within the BIMP-EAGA economic area, across Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines

Malaysia's Foreign Ministry confirmed 55 Malaysians remain uncontactable in Nepal following flash floods on 26 Aug, with a further 36 uncontactable in China due to telecommunications disruptions. A group of 72 Malaysians in Darchen, China have been confirmed safe and are receiving consular assistance from the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing. Search and rescue operations are ongoing, with no Malaysians identified among the 116 foreign nationals officially reported as rescued

The Foreign Ministry stated they are yet to receive any confirmation of Malaysian casualties following floods in Rusawa district in Nepal on 26 Aug. The Malaysian Embassy in Kathmandu reported that 55 Malaysians are uncontactable following the incident. The Ministry is monitoring the situation and has received information from family members, travel agencies, and other relevant sources. The ministry noted communication and electricity disruptions in the region, which make it difficult to establish contact. The Embassy in Kathmandu is in contact with Nepalese authorities, search and rescue teams, the Nepal Tourism Board, travel agencies, and major hospitals in Kathmandu. The ministry has activated its Operations Room in Putrajaya to coordinate information and provide a direct communication channel for Malaysians in affected areas and their families

17 Malaysians travelling to Mount Kailash in Tibet, China were among those unreachable for over 24 hours following severe flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border. The group arrived in Nepal on 23 Aug and was scheduled to continue their pilgrimage until 5 Sep. They last reported reaching about 2km from the Nepal-Tibet Immigration Checkpoint on 26 Aug before losing all communications. Another group of 56 people have been confirmed safe in Tibet; the group consisted of 39 Malaysians, 4 Singaporeans, and 3 Canadians

Malaysian hikers at the Annapurna Base Camp trekking area have been reported safe following flash floods at the Nepal-Tibet border

A Thai-ASEAN Tourism and Halal Trade Association survey showed an almost 50% drop in the number of visitors crossing the Malaysian-Thai border in Padang Besar, Perlis, following recent unrest in the border provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, and Yala. The association also reported a drop in tourist activities in Krabi, Satun, and Hat Yai, but said that “there are still some bookings recorded as people have become accustomed to the spate of violence in southern Thailand”

Tourism Malaysia organised Sales Missions to the Philippines from 16-23 Aug in Manila, Davao, and Cebu. 21 tourism industry stakeholders from Malaysia, including state tourism organisations, travel agents, tour operators, airlines, online travel agencies, and hotel and accommodation providers, met with Filipino tourism partners and 340 buyers through B2B meetings, networking sessions, and destination presentations. Malaysia welcomed 299,633 Filipino visitors in H1 2026, +1.13% YoY. Air connectivity between Malaysia and the Philippines totalled 59 weekly flights, offering over 11,615 seats

Azerbaijan is looking at Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and China as potential markets. The Deputy CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board said that in 2025, Azerbaijan recorded a 40% YoY increase in Chinese visitors and a 36% YoY increase in Malaysian visitors. He also noted that there are direct flights connecting the country with China, while there is no direct connectivity to Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The Tourism Board has launched marketing campaigns to position the country as an official Umrah Plus stopover hub for Muslim pilgrims. Azerbaijan ranks 27th out of 150 destinations globally in the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index 2026, achieving an overall score of 58 out of 100

Traveloka SEA Index Q2 2026 based on booking and search data across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam shows Southeast Asian travellers are travelling far from home, staying longer, and looking for experiences. The data shows the highest demand for domestic destinations in Southeast Asia is Malang in Indonesia, with 90 demand score; Kuala Terengganu in Malaysia, with 76; Singapore (for staycation) with 20; Nakhon Phanom in Thailand, with 92; and Phu Quoc in Vietnam (100). The highest-demand international destination from Indonesia was Seoul (99); Krabi (100) for Malaysia; Fukuoka (100) for Singapore; Seoul (100) for Thailand; and Tokyo (96) for Vietnam. The report also found: Phu Quoc bookings recorded +86% YoY; Con Dao, Hoi An, and Da Nang (Ba Na Hills up 132%) became top searched destinations; For Malaysian travellers, Krabi, Thailand recorded 5x growth in bookings. Bookings to Kuala Terengganu, which is a gateway to Redang and Perhentian islands, have doubled YOY, while Bali saw Malaysian bookings double, with longer stays. Malaysian tourists' stays in Bali grew from 2.3 to 2.7 nights, with bigger family groups; Da Nang attracts the region's largest travel parties (2.23 people/booking), and Vietnamese stays in Bangkok have increased from 3.2 to 3.6 nights. Travellers spend less on shorter and fewer flights, and redirect spending on accommodation and experiences.; Across Southeast Asia, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai and Taipei outperformed average market growth across all five Traveloka markets; Chengdu, Shenzhen, Kunming, and Chongqing grew 2–4x the market pace, boosted by mutual visa-free deals (China with Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand) and China's unilateral visa waiver extended through end-2026; Qingdao recorded a 9X YoY increase in bookings across Southeast Asia due to an increase in flight connectivity to HCMC and Penang launched in early 2026