Malaysia Steps Up Central Asia Push At KITF 2026

By LInda Khoo

KUALA LUMPUR, April 28 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is stepping up efforts to expand its presence in Central Asia, with a delegation of nine companies participating in the Kazakhstan International Tourism and Travel Fair (KITF) 2026 in Almaty via a Malaysian pavilion showcasing tourism, education and halal-related offerings.

The Malaysian pavilion brings together airlines, tour operators and hospitality providers, alongside higher education institutions promoting Malaysia as a regional hub for “edutourism”.

Malaysian Ambassador to Kazakhstan Mohd Adli Abdullah said Malaysia’s participation in the KITF was a strategic move to expand engagement with Kazakhstan and the wider Central Asian market.

“Malaysia views KITF not only as a promotional platform but also as a strategic avenue to build sustained partnerships and enhance connectivity with Central Asia,” he told Bernama.

This year, KITF, one of the region’s key tourism events, features 414 companies from 24 countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the Maldives and Türkiye. International participants make up a significant share of exhibitors, with 346 companies from abroad and 68 from Kazakhstan.

Held at the Atakent International Exhibition Centre in Almaty from April 22 to 24, the 57-square-metre Malaysian pavilion features companies such as AirAsia X, Asian Overland Services and Asia Premium Holidays.

Malaysia is also showcasing its education sector under the “edutourism” theme, with participation from institutions coordinated by Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia.

“While tourism remains central, KITF also opens avenues for cooperation in education as Malaysia advances its ambition to become a regional education hub and attract 500,000 international students by 2035,” Mohd Adli said.

He said Malaysia is leveraging its strengths in halal products, agri-food, education and Muslim-friendly services to broaden engagement beyond tourism at KITF and create opportunities for wider commercial and institutional collaboration with Central Asian partners.

“This is why we are showcasing halal offerings, agri-food products, Muslim-friendly services and higher education as part of the wider tourism value chain, positioning KITF as a gateway for broader business linkages and cross-sector collaboration,” he said.

Mohd Adli said Malaysia’s participation also supports the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY2026) campaign, positioning KITF as both a promotional platform and a gateway to build a long-term market presence.

The Central Asian market continues to show strong growth potential. In 2025, Malaysia recorded more than 85,000 arrivals from the region, a 13.4 per cent increase year-on-year, with Kazakhstan contributing over 43,000 visitors, or more than half of the total.

Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Kazakhstan surpassed the RM1 billion mark for the first time in 2025, driven largely by palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products as well as processed food exports.

Kazakhstan remains Malaysia’s key partner among the Central Asian C5 countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan -contributing 37.4 per cent to Malaysia’s overall trade surplus in the region.

“These figures underscore Kazakhstan’s growing importance as one of Malaysia’s most promising emerging markets,” he said.

--BERNAMA