The Voice of Chandigarh | Travel Trade Reporter

Tourism Malaysia launched the Creator Family, a platform designed to connect brands with modern audiences through real creators and experiences across Asia, in a ceremony officiated by Zuraini Abdul Ghani, Director of Package Development Division, Tourism Malaysia, representing Mohd Amirul Rizal Abdul Rahim, Director General of Tourism Malaysia.

Working together with culturally relevant creators within the region, the Creator Family platform activates them through destinations, campaigns, and brand partnerships designed to drive visibility, engagement, and growth. The platform builds ongoing creator partnerships that deliver measurable business impact not only to the brands they work with but also to the NGOs that partner with them.

With Tourism Malaysia’s support, Creator Family has introduced two new campaigns. The first is Routes & Roots, a state-by-state road trip across Malaysia, focusing its inaugural season on Peninsular Malaysia, while revealing the country through live cultures. Next, Sea Heroes is an awareness-driven programme that showcases the work of marine conservation partners through creators’ raw experiences, amplifying their learning experience while simultaneously inspiring audiences to acknowledge and help protect our oceans.

Zuraini Abdul Ghani noted that visitors, whether local or international, can fulfil their appetite for adventure and discovery by exploring many stellar destinations and new attractions in Malaysia, in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2026–2027.

“As the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign extends to 2027, we support these homegrown initiatives which pave the way to creatively showcase Malaysia on a global scale. Visitors, both local and international, can fulfil their appetite for adventure and discovery by exploring our stellar destinations and new experiences, as well as the abundance of delicacies our multicultural country has to offer. From exciting urban quests to exotic beach escapades, to lofty mountaintop retreats and everything in between, Malaysia certainly has it all, with so much just waiting to be seen and discovered,” said Zuraini Abdul Ghani.

Sangeet Singh, Founder of Creator Family, said, “Creator Family was developed to bring together a network of like-minded creators as part of a meaningful initiative. Embarking on these two exciting proprietary programmes enables us to explore the road less travelled, create awareness of lesser-known destinations, and drive essential conversations. We aim to shed a new perspective on each location’s best-kept local secrets and conservation efforts, beyond the ordinary. Through this platform, we also hope to demonstrate how travelling to the unknown can be much more enjoyable, while encouraging the public to participate in a conservation programme on their next trip.”

Daniel Lai, Marketing Director of iCAUR Auto Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. said, “In line with ‘Born to Play’, our brand promise around a lifestyle-driven, rugged electric adventure, we are proud to be part of this inaugural initiative to support these creators in their journey to uncover lesser-known spots across all types of terrain and the stories behind them. Ask any local, and they would say that the best way to explore the country is by taking a road trip. With well-established road connectivity, equipped with accessible roads and transportation infrastructure, road trips in Malaysia are made more possible, with ease and comfort.”

Routes & Roots – experiencing Malaysia through lived culture

Guided by Wayne Phoo, the Story Traveller, the journey undertaken by Routes & Roots explores how food, beliefs, and everyday life shape regional identities in Peninsular Malaysia. The programme will be launched as four episodes on online platforms, focusing on real environments and people rather than highlighting attractions, presenting Malaysia as it is experienced, not staged.

The Routes & Roots programme will also be joined by international creators from Indonesia, India, and the Philippines, each bringing a distinct voice through their own cultural lens and responding to Malaysia through food, beliefs, landscapes, and human interaction. Together, these voices create a shared narrative, one that reflects how Malaysia is seen locally and felt globally.

Some of the key destinations include the multicultural life and modern movement of Kuala Lumpur’s urban pace; the layers of history and cultural continuity of Melaka; the culture, adventures, and regional heartlands of Kuantan, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, and Penang; the coastal and sea rhythms of Redang Island, as well as Kuala Selangor and Gopeng’s serene life where time slows and stories deepen.

Sea Heroes – driving sustainability in Malaysia through real environmental action

In addition, the Sea Heroes programme is centred on three conservation missions across Malaysia this year. Each mission is delivered with trusted NGO partners and reputable brands across the region, where participating creators document real environmental action and amplify awareness through the Creator Family network.

The World Oceans Day mission on 8 June 2026 began with Coral Ecology and Dive Against Debris, programmes under the PADI AWARE Foundation. Alongside partners YBD Dive Centre, YBD Conservation, and Perhentian Marriott Resort & Spa, the first Sea Heroes programme was conducted successfully with the removal of underwater debris and 10 metres of ghost netting.

Other upcoming missions include The Clean Wave during International Coastal Cleanup Day, with beach- and island-wide clean-up, waste sorting and classification, apart from coastal debris documentation. Rounding up the missions for the year would be Reef Warriors, led by an understanding of Crown-of-Thorns (COTs) reef, identification and surveying skills, safe handling techniques, removal and control methods, real-time reef impact awareness, and conservation strategy insight.

The synergistic combination of these programmes presents a powerful spotlight on Malaysia as a vibrant multicultural destination on the world stage. Beyond the programme, this speaks to what Malaysia stands for: a nation that demonstrates unparalleled hospitality, heritage, and culture; values that are very much at the heart of Malaysians.

The Creator Family programme in collaboration with GoPro is supported by Tourism Malaysia, with iCAUR Auto Malaysia as the Official Mobility Partner, Mamee as the Official Snack Partner, TNG eWallet as the Exclusive Digital Financial and Lifestyle Platform Partner, Small Towns Malaysia as the Production Partner, and GO Communications as the PR and Communications Partner.

Creator Family will also work with other partners across the region for these two programmes. Some partners include A Quiet Place as the Venue Partner, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Casa Del Rio Melaka, and Redang Bay Resort as the Accommodation Partner, and fellow Activity Partners Fangtooth Dive Centre Redang, DM Scuba Dive Team, Summercruise – Green Horizon, Paragliders Malaysia, Nomad Adventure, and Jetty Skymirror HGL, respectively. Conservation Partners also include Reef Check Malaysia, Dive Tioman by B&J, and Peridot by the Sea @ Redang. All Sea Heroes projects are supported by the PADI AWARE Foundation and GoPro.