Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC), Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association (MICA), Tourism Malaysia representing Malaysia at the Tourism Seminar and B2B Session with local industry stakeholders at the Intercontinental Hotel in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
KUALA LUMPUR, 20 JUNE 2025 : Tourism cooperation between Malaysia and Uzbekistan is gaining traction, driven by a shared commitment to Muslim-friendly travel. This strengthening tie took centre stage during Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC)’s latest participation in a sales mission to Tashkent and Samarkand from 9 to 15 June 2025.
The mission builds on the momentum of Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Uzbekistan in May last year, followed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s trip to Malaysia in February this year. Organised by Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association (MICA) with the support of Tourism Malaysia, and Uzbekistan Airways, the Sales Mission to Uzbekistan–The Jewel of the Silk Road aimed to create greater awareness of Malaysia’s Muslim-friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) offerings. This initiative reflects the rising mutual interest of both nations in positioning itself as a key Muslim travel market, respectively.
Throughout the week-long mission, ITC led conversations on MFTH with seminars and B2B engagements, introducing local industry authorities and businesses to Malaysia’s vibrant selection of cultural, natural and leisure attractions. Highlights included centuries-old mosques, city adventures, luxury holiday packages and Muslim-friendly guaranteed services. ITC also introduced its recognition programmes such as the Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality Assurance and Recognition (MFAR) and Muslim-Friendly Tourist Guide (MFTG)—demonstrating Malaysia’s attentiveness in providing MFTH excellence for Muslim travellers, within the shores and from abroad.
Uzbekistan’s heightened interest in attracting Muslim travellers is further demonstrated by the resumption of direct flights to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in November 2022, and Batik Air’s planned non-stop flights to Langkawi later this year. This enhanced connectivity opens up greater opportunities for tour operators to promote Malaysia’s iconic island and beach destinations, which are especially popular for weddings and honeymoons.
Malaysia continues to see strong tourist arrivals from Central Asia, with 19,835 visitors from Uzbekistan recorded in 2024. Other key contributors included Kazakhstan (39,159), Turkmenistan (7,545), Kyrgyz Republic (6,617), and Tajikistan (2,537), highlighting the region’s growing travel interest.
The seminars and B2B sessions, that took place at the InterContinental Tashkent Hotel and the Silk Road by Minyoun Hotel in Samarkand saw ITC engaging with government officials and private industry players, including the Uzbekistan Tourism Board and the locally loved online travel booking site, Easybooking.
The Malaysian delegation was led by Encik Mohd. Akbal Setia, Director of Tourism Malaysia’s International Promotion Division (America/ Europe/ Oceania), and brought together industry players in the hotel and tour operating sector, including three MFAR-recognised organisations:
- GIT Tours and Travels Sdn. Bhd.
- Anytime Holidays Sdn. Bhd.
- Tasik Villa International Resort
Other participating Malaysian businesses included:
- Borneo EC Tourism Sdn. Bhd.
- Golden Century Tour Gtravel Sdn. Bhd.
- Islamicruise International Sdn. Bhd.
- Laguna Redang Island Resort
- Pearl Holiday (M) Travel and Tour Sdn. Bhd.
- Pelancongan Taikar Worldmart Sdn. Bhd.
- Signchina International Travel Admin Sdn. Bhd.
Puan Nur Alyssa Coraline Yussin, Research and Training Director, currently Acting Director-General of ITC, said that the organisation’s participation in the sales mission was a culmination of ITC’s past engagements with Uzbekistan and MICA. She said: “Since November 2022, when we signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Bukhara Regional Government, our relationship with Uzbekistan has grown steadily. We also had the opportunity to host 11 senior Uzbek government officials under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme for specialised training over the decade.”
She added, “Uzbekistan and Malaysia share a common vision of expanding the global Muslim-Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) ecosystem, and they (Uzbekistan) have consistently participated in ITC-led initiatives such as the World Islamic Tourism Conference. This mission further strengthens those ties and creates new opportunities for engagement with industry players from both countries.”
Alyssa also noted the significance of public-private collaboration, “Our strategic partnership with MICA has been instrumental in bridging public and private sector interests between Malaysia and Uzbekistan. MICA has been proactive in advancing the MFTH agenda, while exploring new avenues to revolutionise the Muslim-friendly travel landscape.”
“With Malaysia recently crowned the Top Muslim-Friendly Destination (OIC) in the Global Muslim Travel Index 2025 for the 10th consecutive year, and as we gear up for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), ITC stands ready to work with like-minded tourism decision-makers to further expand the breadth and impact of Malaysia’s MFTH ecosystem.”
With growing enthusiasm on both sides, the mission laid a strong foundation for closer cooperation and increased visitor arrivals from Uzbekistan—an encouraging step forward as Malaysia positions itself to tap into the USD 235 billion global Muslim tourist market by 2030.
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