Malaysia’s tourism industry needs a proper, coordinated push on electric vehicles — not another half-measure.
That’s the word from the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta), which is calling on the government to treat EV adoption in tourism as a bigger, messier problem than just buying new vans.
The association is blunt: without genuine coordination between ministries, agencies and industry players, electrification efforts will stay scattered and won’t actually change anything.
“This is not simply about replacing petrol and diesel vehicles,” said Matta president Nigel Wong.
“It is about building a practical ecosystem that enables tourism operators to adopt EVs confidently, affordably and at scale.”
Matta pointed to Norway, where strong incentives paired with a nationwide charging network have pushed EVs into rental fleets at tourist destinations. Amsterdam and Paris shifted hotel shuttles and sightseeing coaches to electric through low-emission zone policies.
Shenzhen went further — it electrified its entire public transport system by lining up infrastructure, funding and policy in one direction.
Malaysia isn’t starting from scratch. The Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint 2021–2030 gives it a solid base. But Matta argued more is needed — charging points at tourism hotspots, targeted incentives for fleet operators, and government-linked companies actually practising what they preach.
Tourism is one of Malaysia’s biggest earners. The world is moving green — Malaysia needs to move with it. A whole-of-government push, Matta said, is now urgent.
