Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE Promote Local Destinations with Exclusive Travel Deals for Visit Malaysia 2026–2027

Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE have strengthened their strategic partnership through the launch of the Oh Sem Malaysia! campaign, designed to encourage domestic travel and showcase destinations beyond the country’s established tourism hotspots. The initiative supports the ongoing Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 campaign through destination-led promotions, curated travel experiences and exclusive deals. By highlighting secondary cities, hidden gems, cultural heritage, gastronomy and natural attractions, the partnership aims to direct more visitors towards local tourism businesses and communities while supporting Malaysia’s wider tourism growth ambitions.

What Is the Oh Sem Malaysia! Campaign?

The Oh Sem Malaysia! campaign is a joint initiative by Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE, the Southeast Asian online travel agency. It aims to inspire Malaysians and other travellers to explore a broader range of destinations across the country.

The campaign forms part of an expanded public-private partnership focused on travel promotions, co-branded marketing and curated experiences. Rather than concentrating solely on established tourist centres, the initiative will highlight secondary cities and lesser-known destinations that offer distinctive cultural, culinary, natural and hospitality experiences.

The campaign also supports Visit Malaysia 2026–2027, which seeks to strengthen the country’s appeal to domestic and international visitors. By using AirAsia MOVE’s digital platform to promote destinations and travel products, the partnership aims to make it easier for travellers to discover places and book relevant services.

The initiative will cover a range of tourism segments, including cultural heritage, gastronomy, hospitality and ecotourism. These categories provide opportunities to promote both well-known attractions and experiences that may receive less attention in conventional travel itineraries.

Why Are Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE Expanding Their Partnership?

The partnership aims to use coordinated marketing and digital distribution to stimulate interest in destinations across Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia brings its destination-marketing role, while AirAsia MOVE offers an online platform through which travellers can explore and book travel products.

Joint campaigns and co-branded promotions are intended to encourage Malaysians to travel locally while also inspiring visitors to venture beyond familiar hotspots. The approach could help distribute tourism spending across a wider range of destinations, supporting accommodation providers, restaurants, attractions, transport operators and other local businesses.

YBhg. Datuk Manoharan Periasamy, Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, said the collaboration would help the agency reach more Malaysians and encourage them to discover the country’s varied destinations and experiences during Visit Malaysia 2026–2027.

He also emphasised the role of domestic tourism in supporting local businesses and communities. Through joint campaigns and promotions, Tourism Malaysia aims to encourage travellers to experience Malaysia’s range of offerings, from gastronomy to natural landscapes.

For AirAsia MOVE, the partnership provides an opportunity to connect destination inspiration with travel bookings. Chan Kok Ding, Head of Commercial at AirAsia MOVE, said the platform could use its digital reach, data insights and app features to introduce travellers to emerging destinations and simplify the booking process.

Kok Ding also highlighted the importance of local travellers in supporting the places and cultures that define Malaysia. He said the company was committed to contributing to the success of Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 by supporting tourism growth in domestic and regional markets.

How Will the Campaign Support Malaysia’s Secondary Cities and Hidden Gems?

The Oh Sem Malaysia! campaign is designed to broaden the range of destinations considered by travellers. Secondary cities and lesser-known locations can offer cultural heritage, local food traditions, nature-based activities and community experiences that complement Malaysia’s established tourism attractions.

By placing these destinations within coordinated promotional campaigns, Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE aim to increase awareness and encourage travellers to consider a wider range of itineraries.

The approach also creates opportunities for smaller tourism businesses. Visitors travelling beyond major hotspots may spend money on locally owned accommodation, restaurants, guided tours, transport services and cultural attractions. Such spending can help support businesses that depend on tourism while creating opportunities for communities to participate in the visitor economy.

The partnership’s focus on destination-led promotions is intended to connect travellers with local offerings and provide practical reasons to explore different parts of the country. Its success will depend on how effectively the campaigns translate awareness into bookings and actual visits across the destinations being promoted.

What Travel Deals Will AirAsia MOVE Users Receive?

AirAsia MOVE users will be able to access travel savings across several categories during the campaign period. These include:

• Flights
• Hotels
• SNAP! flight and hotel packages
• Airport rides
• Attractions

The offers are intended to make it easier for travellers to combine transport, accommodation and activities when planning a trip. Flight and hotel packages can simplify travel arrangements, while airport transfers and attraction deals can help visitors organise more of their journey through one platform.

The announcement does not specify the exact discount amounts, eligibility conditions or campaign end date for each offer. Travellers will therefore need to check AirAsia MOVE’s platform for applicable deals and booking terms.

By combining promotions across multiple travel categories, the partnership aims to turn destination interest into bookings and encourage visitors to explore more of Malaysia.

How Does the Partnership Support Visit Malaysia 2026–2027?

The partnership complements Visit Malaysia 2026–2027 by promoting domestic travel and highlighting the country’s broader range of tourism products. It is also intended to support regional tourism demand by making destinations more visible to travellers using AirAsia MOVE.

Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE plan to use joint marketing initiatives and co-branded campaigns to generate greater interest in local destinations. The stated objective is to create more opportunities for tourism businesses and communities to benefit from visitor spending.

Domestic tourism can help support the industry beyond international arrival markets. Residents travelling within Malaysia contribute to demand for accommodation, food, attractions and transport, including during periods when overseas visitor numbers may fluctuate.

The campaign’s focus on hidden gems and secondary cities also aligns with the broader goal of distributing tourism activity more widely. Encouraging travellers to explore different regions may help businesses outside the most established destinations gain visibility and attract customers.

What Do Malaysia’s Latest Tourism Figures Show?

The announcement comes as Malaysia reports substantial visitor volumes during the first half of 2026.

The country recorded 151.6 million visitors in the first six months of 2026, representing a 5.6% increase from 143.5 million visitors during the same period in 2025, according to the figures provided in the announcement.

The release also reported that tourism generated RM323.0 billion in Gross Value Added of Tourism Industries (GVATI) in 2025, contributing 15.9% to Malaysia’s gross domestic product.

These figures underline the scale of tourism’s contribution to the national economy and the importance of supporting demand across different visitor segments. The campaign seeks to build on this momentum by encouraging local travel, promoting a wider range of destinations and connecting travellers with bookable experiences.

The reported visitor total should be distinguished from international tourist arrivals alone, as the announcement uses the broader term “visitors”. The figures therefore should not be interpreted as a count of foreign tourists without further clarification of the underlying measurement.

How Could Local Communities Benefit from the Campaign?

Tourism spending can support communities when visitors use locally owned services and businesses. Hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, guides, attractions, transport providers and producers of local goods may all benefit when destinations attract additional visitors.

Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE aim to increase these opportunities by directing attention towards lesser-known destinations and local offerings. If promotional activity generates additional bookings and overnight stays, the resulting spending could circulate through regional economies.

The partnership also aims to distribute the benefits of domestic tourism across different levels of society. However, the scale of the economic impact will depend on the number of travellers reached, the destinations promoted, the conversion of interest into bookings and the proportion of visitor spending retained by local businesses.

By combining destination marketing with digital booking options, the initiative seeks to make lesser-known places more accessible to travellers and support a broader distribution of tourism activity.

Tourism Malaysia and AirAsia MOVE have launched the Oh Sem Malaysia! campaign to promote domestic travel, showcase secondary cities and hidden gems, and support Visit Malaysia 2026–2027. The partnership combines destination-led marketing with travel deals covering flights, hotels, SNAP! packages, airport rides and attractions.

Malaysia recorded 151.6 million visitors in the first half of 2026, while tourism contributed RM323.0 billion in GVATI in 2025, according to the figures provided. The campaign aims to build on this momentum by encouraging travellers to explore beyond established hotspots and helping local businesses and communities benefit from tourism spending.