A total of 565,999 visitors from Brunei Darussalam travelled to Malaysia in the first half of this year (January to June), according to statistics from Tourism Malaysia, placing the Sultanate as the fifth largest source of visitors.
As of June, Singapore led the list of tourist arrivals, followed by Indonesia and China.
Visitors from Singapore totalled 4,276,007, followed by Indonesia with 1,786,630, China at 1,449,711, and Thailand at 813,783.
Bruneians also ranked among the top three for excursionist arrivals between January and June, with 319,421 visitors.
The data further revealed that the Sungai Tujoh checkpoint ranked as the eighth busiest entry point by mode of transport into Malaysia, with 326,038 visitors recorded.
Visitors from Brunei were the top five tourist arrivals for Malaysia with 811,833 from January till December last year. Bruneians were also the fourth highest in excursionist arrivals, totalling 304,378 for the year.
Malaysia’s tourism industry saw a 10.3 per cent year-on-year growth, reaching MYR275.8 billion (USD63.65 billion) in 2023.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia noted the growth was driven by a boost in economic activities, particularly in retail trade, tourism services and food and beverage sectors. – Azlan Othman