KUCHING: Singaporeans made up 36.2 per cent of foreigners visiting Malaysia during the first half of 2024, followed by Indonesians (15.1 per cent) and Chinese (12.3 per cent).

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said 11,808,947 foreigners visited the country during the first half of this year, an increase of 28.9 per cent or 2,648,868 tourists compared to the 9,160,069 registered during the same period last year.

For the first half of 2024, Malaysia raked in RM45.4 billion in revenue from tourism industry, an increase of 50.8 per cent or RM15.3 billion compared RM30.12 billion for the corresponding period last year.

Chinese nationals recorded the highest growth among foreign tourists at 1,449,711, an increase of 35.9 per cent compared to 498,540 for the same period last year.

Singaporeans are the next on the list with 4,276,007, a surge of 14.9 per cent or 394,923 visitors compared to last year.

Indonesian travellers recorded an increase of 12.7 per cent from 1,450,935 to 1,786,630.

The number of Indian visitors increased by 9.6 per cent, followed by Brunei 6.0 per cent, Tiong said.

He said Singaporeans were the biggest group of foreign tourists visiting Malaysia at 36.2 per cent, followed by Indonesia 15.1 per cent, China 12.3 per cent, Thailand 6.9 per cent, Brunei 4.8 per cent, India 4.6 per cent, South Korea 2 per cent, and 18.1 per cent from other regions.

Meanwhile, Malaysia recorded a reduction of tourists from Bangladesh (- 22.4 per cent), Pakistan (-19.2 per cent), Cambodia (-10.3 per cent) and Russia (-6.8 per cent).