As Malaysia pushes to welcome 47 million international visitors under its Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, the country is setting its sights on bringing Korean arrivals back above prepandemic levels by promoting authentic local experiences beyond its well-known beach resorts and city attractions. "Korea is one of our priority markets," Kamilia Hani Abdul Halim, director of Tourism Malaysia Seoul, said in an interview with The Korea Times. Last year, about 558,000 Koreans visited Malaysia, making Korea the country's eighth-largest source market for international visitors. This year, Malaysia hopes to increase that figure to 600,000. "Our arrivals from Korea have yet to return to prepandemic levels," she said. "Before COVID-19, we welcomed more than 600,000 Korean visitors, so this is an important milestone for us." The tourism drive forms part of the government's global Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, which aims to attract 47 million international visitors despite growing uncertainties affecting the global travel industry. At the heart of the campaign is the theme "Surreal Experiences," reflect