Tourism Malaysia on Tuesday held its first specialized seminar in Turkmenistan for tourism industry representatives, presenting Malaysia’s tourism potential, the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign and plans to expand cooperation with the Turkmen tourism market.
The event was organized with the support of the Embassy of Malaysia in Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. It brought together representatives of government agencies, airlines, tourism companies and the media to discuss prospects for developing tourism exchanges between the two countries. Deputy Head of the Tourism Department of Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Culture Gulshat Bakiyeva opened the seminar. Nor Shazli Azmi, Director of Tourism Malaysia Almaty delivered a presentation.
According to Azmi, 10,750 tourists from Turkmenistan visited Malaysia in 2025, up 42.5% from the previous year. In the first five months of 2026, Malaysia welcomed 3,482 Turkmen tourists. He said direct air service between Ashgabat and Kuala Lumpur remains one of the key factors driving the growth in tourist arrivals.
During the seminar, Tourism Malaysia presented the country’s tourism offerings, including beach, ecotourism, family and culinary tourism and introduced the Visit Malaysia 2026 national campaign aimed at attracting international visitors.
During the interview with journalists, Azmi said Tourism Malaysia, together with Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), introduces international students to opportunities to study at Malaysian universities. Responding to a question about medical tourism, he said that following a familiarization visit for doctors from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, a similar form of cooperation could also be considered with Turkmenistan if the Turkmen side expresses interest.
The director of Tourism Malaysia Almaty also said the organization, together with Turkmenistan’s Ministry of Culture, is considering reciprocal familiarization tours for tourism industry representatives and the media, which he said could contribute to the further development of cooperation between the two countries.
