SAMARKAND 13 June 2025 - Tourism Malaysia is enhancing its Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) promotional campaign in Uzbekistan through strategic tourism seminars and business-to-business (B2B) sessions in Tashkent and Samarkand, taking place on 11 and 13 June 2025, respectively.

The initiative is to strengthen ties with the Uzbek travel trade partners and showcase Malaysia’s unique, diverse tourism offerings to this growing market in Central Asia, in collaboration with Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association (MICA) and Uzbekistan Airways, with representatives from Malaysia’s Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC).

The B2B sessions feature Malaysian sellers from MICA who are accredited with the ITC’s Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition (MFAR), with the participation of Muslim-friendly tourism product providers, including operators of Islamic cruises and hoteliers offering Shariah-compliant services, presenting customised travel packages for the Central Asian market.

Mr Mohd Akbal Setia, Director of International Promotions (America, Europe & Oceania) Tourism Malaysia, graced the event. Also present were His Excellency Ilham Tuah Illias, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Republic of Uzbekistan and Mr Nor Shazly Azmi, Director of Tourism Malaysia Almaty.

In his remarks, Mohd Akbal emphasised the strategic importance of the region and stated: “Uzbekistan is a significant and rapidly growing tourism market for Malaysia within Central Asia. In 2024, we welcomed 19,835 visitors from Uzbekistan, demonstrating the strong interest in our country. Hence, this initiative is a crucial step in nurturing this potential and paving the way for even greater numbers as Malaysia is targetting to welcome 45 million international visitor arrivals and generate RM270 billion in visitor receipts this year.”

Other key arrivals from the region in 2024 included Kazakhstan (39,159), the Kyrgyz Republic (6,167), Tajikistan (2,537), and Turkmenistan (7,545).

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About Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene.

The next Visit Malaysia, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and TikTok.

For enquiries, please contact:

Nor Shazly Azmi Director
Tourism Malaysia Almaty
norshazly@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +7 727 355 1430/1439

Norshariza Mohd Saad
Deputy Director
Corporate Communications Division
norshariza@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +603 8891 8775