In 2015 alone, Malaysia saw 25.6 million visitors arrive, bringing with them RM69.1billion in tourism revenue.
KL’s central location to the entire ASEAN, and its effective “Malaysia Truly Asia” tourism campaign, is critical in making the city’s major airport, KLIA, a regional aviation hub and the 23rd busiest airport in the world.
Recently turning 18, the airport has a capacity to manage 70 million passengers altogether; 30 million at KLIA’s main terminal, and 45 million at the new klia2. Located approximately 50km from the city, it borders Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. Designed by the renowned Kisho Kurakawa, KLIA was conferred World’s Best Airport for 3 consecutive years between 2005 and 2007.
Malaysia’s tourist arrivals are made up mostly by the visitors from the neighbouring ASEAN countries. Some 75% of Malaysia’s tourists are from places like Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei and Thailand, while the balance is made up significantly by tourists from Europe, China, Australasia and the Middle East.
An increase in the number budget airlines operating out of KL, such as Malindo, Airasia and Firefly, brought new routes and new target markets, while rising frequencies of existing airlines like KLM has helped pushed the number of international and domestic passengers up over the years.
The period between January to August 2016 recorded 17.6 million tourist arrivals, a growth of 4% from the year before. Tourism Malaysia expects 2016 to record 30.5 million tourists with a targeted revenue of RM103 billion.
This growth in air travel in Malaysia will be further supported up by the upcoming KLIA Aeropolis -- a 1,000 acres development that would include air cargo and logistics hub, business and aviation parks, as well as MICE infrastructure. KLIA Aeropolis will provide space and expertise for faster turnover time, allowing more aircrafts to dock and be maintained.
KLIA’s growth as a regional hub is a boon for TRX, whose connectivity to the international airport is unrivalled by others in the city centre. TRX’s direct link to MEX means that it will only take 40 minutes to reach the financial district from the airport.
Picture Credit: KLIA-Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad
