Tourism Malaysia has reinforced its commitment to the Turkmen market by hosting its first dedicated industry engagement programme in Ashgabat, marking another important milestone in expanding Malaysia’s presence across Central Asia and supporting the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign.
Organised with the support of the Embassy of Malaysia in Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, the programme brought together representatives from government agencies, airlines, travel companies, and the media to explore opportunities for expanding tourism exchanges between the two countries.
The initiative comes shortly after the official visit of The Right Honourable Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, to Turkmenistan, during which both countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across a number of strategic sectors. Building on this positive momentum, Tourism Malaysia continues to deepen its engagement with government institutions and key travel industry players to unlock new opportunities for strategic tourism partnerships and collaboration.
Speaking at the event, Mr Nor Shazly Azmi, Director of the Tourism Malaysia Almaty Office, highlighted the growing importance of Turkmenistan within Tourism Malaysia’s regional strategy.
“Turkmenistan is an emerging market with strong long-term potential for Malaysia. The combination of direct air connectivity, close bilateral relations, and increasing interest in international travel creates a solid foundation for future growth. We are committed to working closely with our partners in Turkmenistan to build destination awareness, broaden industry partnerships, and encourage more travellers to choose Malaysia.”
As one of the world’s leading Muslim-friendly destinations, Malaysia offers travellers from Turkmenistan a welcoming environment, extensive halal facilities, a rich Islamic heritage, and a diverse range of tourism experiences. These strengths are set to play an essential role in driving momentum and attracting more visitors in conjunction with the VM2026 campaign.
Malaysia continues to see encouraging interest from the Turkmen market. In 2025, Malaysia welcomed 10,751 visitors from Turkmenistan, representing a 42.5 per cent increase compared to the 7,545 arrivals in the previous year. By recording 3,482 visitor arrivals as of May 2026, the nation continues to demonstrate the strong, long-term potential of this market. Furthermore, the direct air connectivity between Ashgabat and Kuala Lumpur remains a vital catalyst for tourism development, making travel significantly more accessible while creating new opportunities for leisure, business, and educational exchanges.
The industry engagement programme also served as an excellent platform to enhance relationships with local travel trade partners, explore new collaborative initiatives, and share the latest developments in Malaysia’s tourism offerings. Tourism Malaysia will continue to expand and implement its targeted promotional activities in Turkmenistan as part of its ongoing strategic efforts to drive international visitor arrivals from across the Central Asian region.