Tourism Malaysia faces backlash over Halloween promotion

Malaysia's Tourism Ministry is allegedly facing criticism online for "promoting Halloween". Last week, the ministry's Threads account shared a post about "Nights of Fright 11" at Sunway Lagoon, a Halloween horror attraction running from 26 September to 2 November. The post included hashtags such as #MalaysiaTrulyAsia and #CutiCutiMalaysia (‘#MalaysianHolidays’).

The post drew attention from netizens who were disappointed that the ministry highlighted Halloween instead of upcoming cultural festivals such as Deepavali. Firdaus Wong, a prominent preacher and Muslim convert, questioned when Halloween became part of Malaysian culture. He also accused the ministry of eroding Malaysian identity in the pursuit of being the most “harmonious and tolerant” country, sarcastically asking if the government would next promote “voodoo” under the “Malaysia Truly Asia” banner.

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Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin also urged the ministry to prioritise local cultural celebrations over Western events.

At a press conference in Parliament yesterday, she reportedly questioned why a large programme for Deepavali could not be held instead of Halloween, stressing that Halloween is not part of Malaysian or Asian culture. Mas Ermieyati has previously criticised the ministry over the serving of alcohol at a gala dinner, describing it as insensitive to Muslims.

UMNO Youth chief Akmal Saleh also took to TikTok to share his views on the event claiming that the event had "free flow wine and beer". 

In response to the backlash, Tourism Minister Tiong King Sing said it was a private gathering. Following which, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim gave a stern warning to Tiong and the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture (MOTAC), that serving alcohol at an official government event must never be repeated, Bernama reported. 

The Tourism Ministry has faced growing scrutiny in recent weeks. Last week, Tourism Malaysia announced a strategic partnership with Starbucks Malaysia for Visit Malaysia 2026, which also faced public backlash.

Media intelligence firm CARMA reported that online sentiment around the collaboration was 54.5% negative, with 6.9% positive. Many netizens questioned the rationale for partnering with Starbucks, arguing that it overlooks and potentially harms local Malaysian brands. Several social media users advocated for supporting local Malaysian brands such as ZUS Coffee, BOH Tea, and Spritzer, suggesting that partnering with a foreign brand such as Starbucks undermines the promotion of local businesses.

Following the backlash, the ministry appears to have removed posts about the Starbucks collaboration from its social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. However, videos shared by content creators and travel influencers invited to the launch event remain online.

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