PUTRAJAYA, May 22 — The Malaysian government is stepping up efforts to upscale its museum industry as a centrepiece of the country’s tourism industry in the lead-up to Visit Malaysia Year 2026, with sweeping legislative reforms and massive infrastructure spending being made.
The National Unity Ministry is in the process of concluding a landmark bill to regulate and transform museum activities across the country. To be presented to Parliament in November 2025, the Bill will introduce an official regime, which includes the establishment of a Museum Council to provide advisory advice on policy, development, and operations nationwide.
National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang made the announcement that the move aims to transform museums into accessible, inclusive, and sustainable public spaces for promoting creativity, critical thinking, and cultural awareness.
“This bill is a step ahead in taking Malaysia’s museum culture to international standards,” he further added. “We are making an effort to have museums not just repositories of heritage but living centres of culture.”
The new legislation also sets up a national museum rating system and places greater oversight on private institutions to make sure they are aligned with national cultural policy in addition to quality standards.
Parallel to the legislative overhaul, state governments are investing heavily in museum buildings to enhance visitor experience and facilitate long-term heritage tourism initiatives.
In Penang, the 100-year-old State Museum and Art Gallery is being completely restored and is expected to reopen by the end of 2025. In Johor, some of the main institutions within the Johor Heritage Foundation are being improved, such as the Tokoh Johor Museum—which has closed for an RM10 million (US$2.3 million) conservation program—and the Sultan Abu Bakar Heritage Complex.
Johor has also identified culture and heritage as first-tier tourism segments alongside ecotourism, adventure, leisure, and business events. Johor is placing itself at a crossroads of history of trade and tradition, and museum rejuvenation as a strategic component of its greater agenda of tourism development.
These nationwide efforts portend Malaysia’s seriousness in tapping into its rich cultural diversity as a tool for tourism development and nation-building, setting the stage for a robust performance in Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
