KUCHING, July 11 — Tourism Malaysia and Cats FM have joined forces to organise the Miss SHOPhia Shopping Hunt 2026, a creative tourism initiative aimed at promoting domestic travel and boosting the retail sector in Sarawak.
Held in conjunction with the Malaysia Mega Sale 2026 campaign, which runs from June 15 to July 31, the programme brought together radio presenters, Cats FM listeners, media representatives, and social media influencers for a unique shopping and tourism experience across Kuching.
The event was officiated by Tourism Malaysia Package Development Division Director Zuraini Abdul Ghani and attracted 15 participating teams. Participants were tasked with completing various challenges and missions at shopping centres and tourism attractions around Kuching, allowing them to discover the city while engaging in shopping-related activities.
Among the key locations featured in the shopping hunt were the Brooke Dockyard Industrial Heritage Museum, Plaza Merdeka, AEON Mall Kuching Central, India Street, and Pangkalan Sapi. Through these destinations, participants were exposed to Kuching’s cultural heritage, local businesses, tourism attractions, and retail offerings.
According to Tourism Malaysia, the programme was designed to support the National Sales Campaign, which consists of three major annual campaigns namely Malaysia Super Sale, Malaysia Mega Sale, and Malaysia Year End Sale. These campaigns play an important role in positioning Malaysia as a value-for-money shopping destination while encouraging higher visitor spending and economic activity.
The initiative also supports the objectives of Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), which seeks to strengthen the promotion of tourism products and travel experiences throughout the country. Tourism Malaysia believes that the active involvement of media practitioners and social media influencers will help expand promotional reach and encourage more people to explore local destinations while supporting businesses.
The success of Miss SHOPhia Shopping Hunt 2026 was made possible through strong support from various strategic partners including Air Borneo, Borneo Empurau Farm & Resort, EcoGreen Holidays, Gamuda Cove Water Theme Park, Grab, Greenery Borneo Travel, Hilton Kuching, InterContinental Travel Centre, Photobook, Pullman Kuching, Royal Kuching Cruise, Semadang Borneo Adventure, Sheraton Kuching, Spritzer, Vanzo Perfume, and Zus Coffee.
Tourism Malaysia highlighted that public-private collaboration remains essential in ensuring the success of tourism campaigns and attracting both domestic and international visitors to Malaysia. Such partnerships continue to contribute to the growth of tourism-related industries while creating opportunities for local communities and businesses.
The programme comes at a time when Malaysia’s domestic tourism sector is experiencing strong growth. In 2025, domestic tourism arrivals increased by 21.3 per cent to 290.1 million visitors compared to 260.1 million visitors recorded in 2024. Tourism expenditure also grew by 13.3 per cent, reaching RM121 billion compared to RM106.7 billion the previous year.
With encouraging tourism figures and continued collaboration between government agencies and industry players, Tourism Malaysia remains optimistic that initiatives such as Miss SHOPhia Shopping Hunt 2026 will further strengthen Malaysia’s reputation as a leading lifestyle, tourism, and shopping destination in Asia while delivering positive economic benefits to local communities across Sarawak.
