Perak Sees Growth In Domestic Tourism Despite Drop In Foreign Visitors

IPOH, June 20 (Bernama) -- Domestic overnight tourist arrivals to Perak increased from 10.2 million in 2024 to 10.4 million last year, said state Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee.

He said international tourist arrivals, however, dropped by about 1.5 per cent last year.

“Among the reasons for the decline in international tourist arrivals was the lack of flights on the Singapore-Ipoh route, as well as the global oil crisis which also affected the aviation industry,” he said.

Loh told reporters this after attending the Pantai Timur Fest 2026, organised by Tourism Malaysia and officiated by its director-general, Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, here today.

Previously, Chief Statistician of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin was reported to have said that in terms of destinations, Selangor remained the state most visited by domestic travellers last year with 36.4 million visitors, followed by Kuala Lumpur (35.1 million) and Perak (23.6 million).

Meanwhile, Mohd Amirul Rizal, in his speech, said Ipoh was selected to host the Pantai Timur Fest 2026 because of its strategic position as one of the country’s main tourist destinations.

“The selection of Ipoh also allows the uniqueness of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang to be introduced to a wider audience, especially visitors from the northern, central and southern regions of Peninsular Malaysia

The Pantai Timur Fest 2026 brings together 30 exhibition booths featuring various tourism industry operators from Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

This edition features travel agencies, hotels, theme parks, tourism product owners and online travel agents offering a variety of tourism products and experiences to visitors.

In addition to tourism product exhibitions, the festival also features various attractions including cultural performances, traditional craft demonstrations, heritage food promotions, interactive activities, as well as special offers and discounts on travel packages in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign. 

-- BERNAMA