Singaporeans make up bulk of Johor's 14 million tourist arrivals
He said Singaporeans made up the largest group, with more than 11 million visitors recorded between January and July this year, the Straits Times reported.
"Besides Singapore, we are also seeing many visitors from Indonesia, China, India, the Philippines, European countries and South Korea.
"In fact, from January until March, more than two million tourists, including Malaysians, stayed in Johor for more than one night," he said after launching Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery's Works On Paper: Art Inside The Wallet exhibition at Kompleks Warisan Sultan Abu Bakar on Aug 19.
The numbers were an encouraging sign for the state government and local tourism industry players as the state prepares for Visit Johor Year 2026 (VJY2026), Raven said.
He said efforts were under way to promote small towns across Johor's 10 districts as potential tourism destinations.
"There is a lot of potential in small towns to be part of our tourism destinations for VJY2026, as many are near attractions such as waterfalls, and they offer delicious local delicacies.
"As part of the government's effort to promote small towns in other districts, we are holding state-level events such as Majestic Johor and Festival Zapin outside Johor Baru," he said.
The state government has set a target of attracting 12 million tourists to Johor in 2026 by upgrading tourism products and organising events to strengthen the state as a key destination.
Bank Negara Malaysia Museum and Art Gallery's Works On Paper: Art Inside The Wallet exhibition will run for six months until Feb 18, 2026, at the complex.
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