Sun bear to be face of Visit Malaysia Year 2026, symbol of conservation and charm
SEPANG, Jan 6 — The endangered Malayan sun bear is the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign mascot, symbolising the country’s commitment to wildlife conservation, Tourism Malaysia announced today.
The two versions of the sun bear — male and female — have playful and friendly designs meant for broad appeal.
Wira, the male version, wears the “Visit Malaysia 2026” badge on his chest and a batik scarf around his neck.
Meanwhile, Manja, the female version, wears a batik sash around her torso and a bow with similar design on her head. The female version was further designed to have eyelashes and red cheeks.
In 2020, the mascot was the hornbill.
Tapping into Malaysia’s batik culture, the logo carries a batik design and colour scheme meant to represent the five major communities in Malaysia: Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sabahans, and Sarawakians.
The font of the logo was inspired by Malaysia’s traditional wood carving. It also features the hibiscus, also known as the “Bunga Raya”, Malaysia’s national flower.
The “Truly Malaysia” tag line from 1999 was retained, but with changes made to the spacing.
Additionally, three country’s three airlines will carry the Visit Malaysia 2026 livery.
At the launch, a Malaysia Airlines aircraft wore Mount Kinabalu, the Merdeka 360 tower, the Petronas Twin Towers, and the Tun Razak Exchange tower.
Meanwhile an AirAsia plane featured artwork of the Malayan sun bear, the hornbill and the Malayan tiger along with the tag line “Discover Malaysia’s Wildlife Wonders”.
The Batik Air aircraft displayed the Visit Malaysia Year logo along with the Malayan sun bear.
