SIBU: The Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign made an encouraging start with approximately 8,000 tourists entering the country through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on the first day of Chinese New Year.

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said Terminal 1 registered about 6,500 arrivals within a two-hour period, while Terminal 2 recorded approximately 1,500 arrivals.

“The overall total for the first two days has yet to be finalised as we are still awaiting official data,” he told reporters when met at his Chinese New Year open house at the Pulau Li Hua Commercial Centre here on Thursday.

The Dudong Assemblyman added that the robust influx of visitors was reflected in high hotel occupancy rates nationwide, particularly in key destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, where many four and five-star hotels reported full bookings throughout the festive period.

Meanwhile, about 20,000 visitors turned up to enliven the open house which began as early as 7.30 am.

Also present during the open house were Sarawak Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee, Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Alice Lau, Bawang Assan Assemblyman Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh, Bukit Assek Assemblyman Joseph Chieng Jin Ek, and other guests. -UKASnews