Tourism in Malaysia is a major industry and contributor to the Malaysian economy. Malaysia was once ranked 9th in the world for tourist arrivals. In 2017, the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranked Malaysia 26 out of 141 countries using its Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) which measures the various components and policies of a country that are in place to allow for the sustainable development of its travel and tourism sectors.
In an effort to diversify Malaysia's economy and reduce its dependency on exports, the government pushed to increase tourism in Malaysia. This led tourism to become Malaysia's second largest source of foreign exchange income. In 2022, tourism contributed 14% to Malaysia's overall GDP.
The government agency in charge of promoting tourism in Malaysia is Tourism Malaysia or the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB). On 20 May 1987, the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism (MOCAT) was established and TDC moved to this new ministry. TDC existed from 1972 to 1992, when it became the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (MTPB), through the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Act, 1992.
In 2007, Malaysia launched its most notable tourism campaign titled "Malaysia Truly Asia". This campaign was launched in conjunction with Malaysia's 50th year of independence and was heavily promoted and advertised. It exceeded expectations and was a massive success, chartering the arrivals of 20.97 million tourists.
In 2025, Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru were named among the top 10 destinations in Asia with the highest number of repeat visitors, according to Agoda. In the same year, Malaysia received approximately 26.6 million international tourist arrivals from its main source markets, the vast majority originating from Asia (about 23.7 million visitors, or 89.1%), while Western markets — Europe, Northern America, as well as Australia and New Zealand — accounted for only about 2.2 million arrivals (8.2%). Other regions, including the Middle East and Africa, accounted for a comparatively smaller share of arrivals. Major source markets included Singapore (35.1%), China, Indonesia, Thailand and India, while the largest Western source markets were Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Germany.
Entering the country Most nationalities can enter Malaysia without a visa and are normally issued 30, 60, or 90-day entry permit stamps. Some nationalities that are not eligible to enter without a visa can get a tourist visa on arrival; other nationalities must apply for a visa in advance. Most notably, holders of Israeli passports are not allowed to visit Malaysia without separate, prior approval from the Home Ministry (a fairly routine but bureaucratic process). See the Immigration Department of Malaysia website for the current scoop.
By plane Most international flights land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA); AirAsia flights now use the new LCC terminal, a 20km road transfer away from the main KLIA terminal. KLIA's predecessor, the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang near Kuala Lumpur handles chartered and turboprop aircraft.
See the Kuala Lumpur "Get in" section for detailed airport information.
Other airports handling international flights are Johor Bahru, Langkawi, Malacca and Penang, plus Kota Kinabalu (Sabah) and Kuching (Sarawak).
By train
To/from Thailand: Direct sleeper train services operated by the State Railway of Thailand connect Bangkok (Thailand) and Butterworth near Penang (Malaysia), while Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malaysian Railways) runs trains between Hat Yai (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Both trains cross the border at Padang Besar where Thai and Malaysia immigration formalities are all conveniently done in the station. There is also a less used eastern route from Hat Yai to Thai border town Sungai Kolok, but there are no through trains to the nearby Malaysian station at Wakaf Bahru (near Kota Bharu). To/from Singapore: Comfortable overnight sleeper and somewhat misnamed daytime "express" trains also connect Singapore with Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu. Bizarrely, tickets from Singapore are twice as expensive as those to Singapore; you can save quite a bit by taking the train from Johor Bahru instead.
By bus Long-distances buses/coaches into Malaysia run from Brunei, Indonesian Borneo, Singapore and Thailand. Please see the relevant city pages for more details. Brunei – buses connect Bandar Seri Begawan with several Sarawak cities. The most popular jumping-off point is Miri. Indonesia – direct buses operate between Pontianak in West Kalimantan and Kuching in Sarawak. Singapore – a multitude of bus companies operate direct routes from Singapore to various destinations in Peninsular Malaysia, including Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and East Coast cities. Frequent buses make the short run between Singapore and Johor Bahru. To save costs, many people coming in from Singapore make the short hop to Johor Bahru and catch coaches to other Malaysian destinations from there. Thailand – several companies operate services from Kuala Lumpur and other cities in Malaysia to Hat Yai in southern Thailand, where direct connections are available to Bangkok and many other Thai destinations.
By road Land crossings are possible from southern Thailand and Singapore into Peninsular Malaysia, as well as from Brunei and Kalimantan (the Indonesian side of Borneo) into Sarawak. An International Drivers Permit (IDP) is required. See the respective city or state pages for more detailed information. Brunei – the main crossings are at Sungai Tujoh on the Miri, Sarawak, to Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) road, and the Kuala Lurah-Tedungan checkpoint which is used for traffic travelling between Bandar Seri Begawan and Limbang in Sarawak. You can also access the Temburong district of Brunei by road from Limbang (Sungai Pandaruan) and Lawas (Trusan). Indonesia – the main crossing is at the Tebedu-Entikong checkpoint on the main Kuching-Pontianak road. Various other minor border crossings used by locals are not necessarily open to foreigners. Singapore – the two crossings are the Causeway which links Johor Bahru with Woodlands in Singapore, and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link which links Tanjung Kupang in Johor with Tuas in Singapore. See Johor Bahru Get in section and Singapore Get in section for more details. Thailand – international checkpoints (with the Thai towns in brackets) are at Wang Kelian (Satun) and Padang Besar (Padang Besar) in Perlis, Bukit Kayu Hitam (Sadao) in Kedah, Pengkalan Hulu (Betong) in Perak, Bukit Bunga and Rantau Panjang (Sungai Kolok) in Kelantan.
By boat Ferries connect various points in Peninsular Malaysia with Sumatra in Indonesia and southern Thailand, Sarawak with Brunei, and Sabah with East Kalimantan in Indonesia and Mindanao in the Philippines. Luxury cruises also run from Singapore and sometimes Phuket (Thailand) to Malaysia.
Brunei – ferries daily between the Muara Ferry Terminal in Brunei and Labuan island and Lawas in Sarawak. Speedboats, mostly in the morning, also run between Bandar Seri Begawan jetty and Limbang, Sarawak. Indonesia – the main jumping-off points from Indonesia are the Riau Islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun; Dumai, Medan and Pekanbaru on the Sumatra mainland as well as Nunukan in East Kalimantan. Ferries link Batam and Bintan with Johor Bahru; Karimun with Kukup in Johor; Dumai with Malacca, Muar in Johor, Port Dickson (in Negeri Sembilan) and Port Klang, the port for Kuala Lumpur; Pekanbaru with Malacca; and Medan's port of Belawan with Penang. Daily ferries also link Nunukan with Tawau in Sabah. There are also minor crossings like between Bengkalis in Riau, Sumatra and Malacca and Muar in Johor; and Tanjung Balai Asahan in North Sumatra with Port Klang, the port for Kuala Lumpur. Philippines – ferries run between the Zamboanga Peninsula and Sandakan, Sabah. Singapore – daily passenger boats run between Changi Point and Pengerang, Johor; daily vehicle ferries operate between Changi Ferry Terminal and Tanjung Belungkor, Johor. See the Singapore "Get in" section for details. Thailand – four ferries daily (reduced to three during Ramadan) between Tammalang at Satun and Kuah on Langkawi, Malaysia. Vehicle ferries operate between Tak Bai in Narathiwat province and Pengkalan Kubur in Kelantan, Malaysia.
On foot
It is possible to walk across the Causeway between Singapore and Johor Bahru at the southern tip of Malaysia. You can also walk in/out of Thailand at Wang Kelian and Padang Besar (both in Perlis), Bukit Kayu Hitam (Kedah), Pengkalan Hulu (Perak) and Rantau Panjang (Kelantan).-->
Most visited destinations and attractions Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur was ranked the 6th most-visited city in the world on the Mastercard Destination Cities Index in 2019. Since the 1990s, the city has played host to many international sporting, political and cultural events, including the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championships, 1998 Commonwealth Games, 2001 Southeast Asian Games, and 2017 Southeast Asian Games. Kuala Lumpur has undergone rapid development in recent decades and is home to the tallest twin buildings in the world, the Petronas Towers which have since become an iconic symbol of Malaysian development. Kuala Lumpur is well connected with neighboring urban metro regions such as Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley via the rapidly expanding Klang Valley Integrated Transit System.
Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest building in the world from 1998 to 2004 and the tallest twin buildings. KLCC Park, an urban park in Kuala Lumpur City Centre features lake symphony, jogging track or footpath, ornamental water, children playground, a mosque, and surrounding areas such as Aquaria KLCC, also Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Independence Square, located in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building near Jamek Mosque, it was here that the Union Flag was lowered and the Malaysian flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on 31 August 1957, surrounding the square are many buildings of historical interest, including Royal Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, St. Mary's Anglican Cathedral, National Textile Museum, and not far Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. Bukit Bintang, it has long been Kuala Lumpur's most prominent retail belt that is home to many landmark shopping centres, al-fresco cafés, bars, night markets, food street, mamak stalls as well as hawker-type eateries. National Palace, is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia). Petaling Street, a Chinatown located in old downtown near Merdeka Square, it area has dozens of restaurants and food stalls, serving local favourites such as Hokkien mee, Ikan Bakar (barbecued fish), asam laksa and curry noodles. Kampung Baru, a Malay village in central city, just opposite KLCC. Perdana Botanical Gardens, the first large-scale recreational park since 1888, it contains sculpted and manicured gardens, lake garden, and a host of attractions. Merdeka 118, the world's second tallest building with a height of 678.9meters.
Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley
There are many tourist attractions outside of the city, spread across Greater Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley area which has hosted various major national and international events, from man-made attractions to natural attractions such as mountainous landscapes, hills, and rice fields. Batu Caves, cave complex contains many Hindu temples, the most popular of which is a shrine dedicated to Tamil god Murugan with a 43 m (141 ft) high Murugan statue, one of the largest Murugan statues in the world, and the focal point of the Tamil festival of Thaipusam in Malaysia. Sepang International Circuit, close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport it hosted the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix between 1999 and 2017, and is also the venue for the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, the Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race, and other major motorsport events.