KLIBF 2026 Sets New Record With Over 2.4 Million Visitors

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 (Bernama) -- The Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF) 2026 which was held for 10 days at the World Trade Centre here concluded today with a new record of 2,416,009 visitors, surpassing the 2.1 million recorded last year. 

Deputy Education Minister Datuk Wong Kah Woh said 209 local publishers and 23 international publishers took part in the fair and its achievement demonstrated that the government's continuous efforts to strengthen the reading culture and advance the national book industry were yielding positive results. 

“In 2023, KLIBF recorded 1.6 million visitors. The following year, in 2024, the figure rose to 1.8 million, while last year we successfully surpassed the two-million mark with 2.1 million visitors,” he said when speaking at the book fair closing ceremony today. 

He said Malaysia now has an increasingly mature digital publishing ecosystem, with more than 1,000 industry players and access to over 900,000 book titles through various digital platforms. 

Meanwhile, Wong said the MADANI Book Voucher announced earlier by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim continued to serve as a catalyst for the growth of the national book industry.

According to him, the government allocated RM286 million in 2024 for the implementation of the MADANI Book Voucher programme, benefiting more than 3.57 million primary and secondary school pupils and students, and it was implemented with full transparency and without leakages.

“This year, the MADANI Book Voucher will be extended to secondary school students and above, with each recipient receiving RM100. We expect 2,039,638 secondary school students to benefit from this initiative,” he added.

-- BERNAMA