KUALA LUMPUR: The AirAsia Travel Fair (AATF) 2025 is expected to attract about 15,000 visitors, a 5,000 increase from its last pre-pandemic edition in 2019, as the airline revived its signature travel fair series with plans to make next year’s showcase the largest in Malaysia.
AirAsia group chief commercial officer Amanda Woo said the airline will also host travel fairs in other countries, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, to support Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2026.
Woo said this year’s edition, which will be held over three days from Aug 22 to 24 at Pavilion Bukit Jalil, features 213 booths and about 1,000 travel packages curated by leading local agents, with organisers optimistic of doubling sales compared with previous events, where daily ticket sales reached up to 10,000.
"What we (AirAsia) plan to do is to invite all other airlines, hotels and tourism partners to be part of our travel fair, and today we have international carriers such as Air Arabia and Emirates already on board. We hope to expand participation next year as it positions itself as a travel company rather than just an airline,” she told reporters after launching the AATF 2025 here today.
The travel fair is a collaborative travel platform that brings together travellers, travel agents, tourism boards, and industry partners for the first time under one roof.
Building on previous editions held across key cities in Malaysia, the fair demonstrates Kuala Lumpur’s growing stature as a major travel hub, offering extensive connectivity to domestic and international destinations while supporting Malaysia’s tourism sector ahead of VMY 2026.
Woo also described this year’s fair as especially significant, as it introduces routes that go beyond Asia with VMY 2026 on the horizon, the airline said it is seeing strong inbound demand from Central Asia, particularly from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Istanbul, with Malaysia increasingly viewed as a hub for travellers to explore the wider Asian region.
Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Manoharan Periasamy said this travel fair is a step taken by AirAsia to further promote domestic and international tourism.
"We are indeed targeting the arrival of 43 million visitors (in 2025), and as of June 2025, we have seen more than 25 million domestic and international tourists. Therefore, we believe this initiative will continue to encourage and help Tourism Malaysia achieve its goal of attracting 43 million tourists to Malaysia,” he said.
Manoharan added that the destinations featured in this exhibition are key source markets for Malaysia, with impressive tourist arrivals from ASEAN and coastal countries, and over a 30 per cent increase from China and India since the introduction of the visa-free policy from the government. - Bernama