In a bid to reframe Malaysia’s appeal for the digital-age traveller, Tourism Malaysia has joined forces with global travel platform Agoda ahead of the much-anticipated Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
The two-year strategic tie-up promises more than glossy promos, it’s a calculated pivot toward data-driven storytelling, global outreach, and a fresh national brand narrative.
The collaboration, sealed via a Memorandum of Collaboration, will see Agoda spearhead a series of targeted digital campaigns designed to raise Malaysia’s profile across key international markets including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Beyond the clicks and conversions, the deal reflects a growing recognition that destination marketing today demands both emotional resonance and algorithmic intelligence.
Agoda’s role extends into analytics and advisory, with the platform committing to provide behavioural insights to inform Tourism Malaysia’s promotional strategies.
Knowledge-sharing sessions between the two entities are also on the cards, centred on evolving traveller expectations, sustainable tourism practices, and market-specific engagement tactics.
“With its blend of cultural richness, biodiversity, and modern vibrancy, Malaysia has an incredible story to tell,” said Fabian Teja, Agoda’s Country Director for Malaysia.
“Through this partnership, we hope to position Malaysia not just as a destination, but as an experience—one that is discoverable, desirable, and digitally accessible.”
Tourism Malaysia Director-General Manoharan Periasamy echoed that sentiment, noting the shift toward digitalisation as central to Malaysia’s tourism ambitions.
“Agoda’s tech-first capabilities align perfectly with our vision for VM2026. We’re not just promoting places, we’re crafting a dynamic, data-informed invitation to the world.”
The VM2026 push is part of a broader regional alignment, supporting the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle Visiting Year 2023–2025.
The aim is to package Southeast Asia not just as a collection of destinations but as a unified, multi-country journey for experience-driven travellers.
With Agoda as its digital co-pilot, Tourism Malaysia appears poised to rewrite its destination playbook.
Whether this partnership translates into real growth and not just online noise will be the true litmus test.
One thing’s for sure in that Malaysia is no longer relying solely on glossy brochures and static slogans – it’s betting big time on algorithms, authenticity, and agile storytelling to attract global travellers.
The APPIES is an annual event that presents a rare opportunity for creative, media, digital and marketing agencies or brands to present their best campaigns to the industry.
This is the only event where Live Presentations meets Live Judging.
Similar to TED Talks, The APPIES is the chance for great presenters with outstanding work to show it off to some of the industry’s most important industry leaders.
This year’s winners will receive Gold, Silver or Bronze trophies for 21 categories, and 6 special Best of Best categories (red trophies) that require no submissions!
Campaign entries must have run between June 2024 to May 2025
