Johor Bahru: The ASEAN Travel Forum (ATF) remains a crucial event for boosting travel among the ten ASEAN member countries, even as international travel fairs grow in number, according to Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk P. Manoharan. He emphasized that while numerous travel fairs such as ITB Asia, Arabian Travel Market (ATM), and World Travel Market (WTM) have emerged, ATF stands out as the sole platform that can unite the region to highlight its collective appeal to the global market.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Manoharan remarked, “It is the only platform that unites all 10 ASEAN destinations to showcase ASEAN to long-haul markets as a single, cohesive destination. Therefore, in my opinion, the answer to the question of whether this ATF is relevant is yes.” However, he also pointed out that for ATF to maintain its relevance, the ASEAN Tourism Association (ASEANTA) and key stakeholders need to engage in critical discussions to reassess its objectives and organization.
“ASEANTA and other stakeholders need to reach a consensus on how we evolve ATF. This could mean finding new ways to align with current industry trends,” he suggested. Manoharan made these comments at the international media briefing on Visit Malaysia 2026 Year (VM2026) at the Johor Convention Centre (Persada), in conjunction with the ASEAN Travel Exchange (TRAVEX), a component of ATF 2025 programs.
He was addressing a query regarding whether ATF should be restructured in light of the expansion of regional platforms like ITB Asia and international travel fairs such as ATM and WTM. ATF 2025, scheduled to occur from January 15-20, aims to promote regional tourism products, facilitate knowledge exchange, foster valuable networking, and enhance cooperation with leaders in the global tourism industry to increase tourist numbers in ASEAN.
Meanwhile, speaking with local media later, Manoharan stated that the information session aimed to inform and promote VM2026 to international media. He highlighted that VM2026 is a significant national agenda, and the government hopes for close cooperation from international media to promote the campaign across their platforms.
“In this session, we detailed the direction of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) for the campaign, including efforts to strengthen transportation facilities for tourists, as well as efforts to improve the tourist experience to encourage them to stay longer and spend more in Malaysia,” he explained.