Tourism Malaysia and Mastercard will co-create the Travel Malaysia app in a bid to digitize tourism in the country as part of a wider partnership. 

The app will offer personalized travel content and exclusive offers. Users will be able to plan itineraries and make bookings on the app. 

The app is scheduled to launch by 2025.

This announcement comes as part of a wider strategic partnership between the New York-based payments company and Malaysia’s national tourism board, Tourism Malaysia.

“The esteemed partnership with Mastercard highlights our commitment to harness technology to create a more seamless and innovative travel experience in Malaysia,” said Malaysian Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture YB Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan.

As part of the partnership, Mastercard’s regional data & services hub in Kuala Lumpur will provide insights on traveler spend patterns, needs, and preferences. 

“By using data and insights, we aim to improve visitor satisfaction and continuously innovate to engage with travelers,” Khan said.  

“This collaboration is a significant step towards digitizing Malaysia’s travel and tourism sector, providing a hassle-free and enriched experience for visitors exploring our diverse offerings.” 

Tourism Malaysia will leverage Mastercard’s “global reach and marketing capabilities” for its marketing campaigns.  

Tourism Malaysia aims to attract more potential travelers and capture an incremental 8 million arrivals by 2026.  

In 2023, Malaysia welcomed 20.14 million visitors. In 2024, Malaysia aims to welcome 27.3 million tourists. 

The forthcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026 sets a target of 35.6 million foreign tourist arrivals and MYR147.1 billion in receipts.  

A “Visit Malaysia Year” is a tourism campaign initiated by the Malaysian government to promote tourism to Malaysia on a large scale. It is held every few years and typically involves various promotional activities, marketing campaigns, and events aimed at attracting tourists from around the world to visit Malaysia during the designated year.  

The last Visit Malaysia Year was in 2020, preceded by one in 2014.