KUALA LUMPUR — As there are currently no direct flights between Malaysia and Bahrain, Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing expressed his concern to the Bahraini government during his recent visit in the hope that Bahrain can help speed up the implementation of Gulf Air direct flights to Malaysia in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

This follows the possible launch of direct flights at the earliest by Bahrain-based Gulf Air expected in 2027.

Recently, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing led a Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and Tourism Malaysia on a 8-day working visit delegation to Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Motac is enhancing its tourism and cultural ties with the the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Bahrain via a Memorandum of Understanding between two countries.

Tiong King Sing paid a courtesy call on Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and Economy, His Highness Sheikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa; Minister of Tourism, PYT Fatima J. Al Sairafi, and Director of the Culture and Antiquities Authority, Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

According to the Bahraini authorities, Gulf Air is unable to launch direct flights to Malaysia at this time because it is still waiting for the delivery of their new aircraft.

However, Bahrain suggested that, in the meantime, a code sharing agreement with Malaysian airlines could be implemented to establish air links between the two countries.

However, during subsequent discussions with Gulf Air, the airline informed the Malaysian delegation that they will lease aircraft to launch direct flights to Malaysia, with the leased aircraft expected to be delivered by 2025.

The two countries also agreed on cultural cooperation and will sign a memorandum of understanding to promote cultural exchange activities.

Tiong also stated that Tourism Malaysia, with the help of the Malaysian Embassy in Bahrain, will involve more local travel agencies and intensify efforts to promote Malaysia as a tourist destination.

At the same time, Tiong also invited his counterparts from Oman and Bahrain to attend the “World Tourism Summit” in Malaysia scheduled to take place in September 2025, in conjunction with World Tourism Day.

In addition to leading the MOTAC delegation to meet with its counterparts in Oman and Bahrain for bilateral negotiations, Tiong also met with 13 local tourism agencies, one investment company, one tourism organization, and four airlines based in the region, including Emirates, Oman Air, Gulf Air, and SalamAir.

During the meeting, in addition to actively building bridges and opening up more space for collaboration to attract more tourists to Malaysia, Tiong also received feedback from local operators and gathered input to allocate resources as well as take proactive steps in addressing existing weaknesses from a marketing point of view.