Nearly 5 million Singapore residents visited Johor in first 3 months of 2026, says local official

Visited Johor this year for a quick day trip or to visit family?

More than 4.7 million Singapore residents visited the southern Malaysian state between Jan 1 and March 31, Malaysian publication New Straits Times reported on Monday (May 4).

A total of 6.08 million foreign visitor arrivals were recorded, up from 5.96 million in the same period last year, according to Johor's unity, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar, which means Singapore made up about 77 per cent of all visitors.

"The strong contribution from Singapore continues to anchor Johor's tourism performance," said Kumar as he addressed questions about the local tourism campaign, Visit Johor 2026, at the state assembly.

"Arrivals from other key markets such as Indonesia, China and India have also shown encouraging growth."

The campaign aims to attract 12 million visitors to Johor this year and generate RM42.48 billion (S$13 billion) in tourism receipts.

Kumar was quoted as saying that the Visit Johor 2026 campaign will feature between 100 and 170 initiatives, with the newly opened night safari at Johor zoo as one.

Other attractions, including the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex and Johor Figures Museum, are also being upgraded and will open later this year.

"To improve connectivity, plans are underway to introduce a Johor Tourist Bus service linking key attractions in Johor Bahru, making it easier for visitors to move between destinations," he was quoted as saying.

Last year, Johor welcomed 24.7 million international visitors, including more than 19 million from Singapore, reported The Star.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com