Johor recorded 10.63 million tourist arrivals in 2025 (7.38 million domestic and 3.25 million international overnight visitors), plus about 24.7 million international visitor entries at its land crossings, 19.38 million of them from Singapore. Visit Johor 2026 targets 12 million overnight visitors and RM42.48 billion in receipts; 4.7 million overnight visitors came in January–June 2026, and the state says it is on track and plans to extend the campaign into 2027. For homes near the CIQ, the steady flow of Singapore day-trippers and short-stay visitors supports retail and serviced-apartment demand, especially once the RTS Link opens (targeted February 2027).
Anyone who has queued at the Causeway on a Saturday morning already knows the headline: Singaporeans love Johor Bahru. They come for food, groceries, massages, malls, dental visits and weekend breaks. The question for a property buyer is more specific: how big is this flow really, is it growing, and does it translate into demand for the homes and shops around the CIQ?
This guide brings together the latest official and major-news figures on Johor visitor arrivals for 2025 and 2026, explains why different numbers can look contradictory, and then looks at what tourism means for short-stay rentals and retail near the CIQ and RTS Link.
Johor visitor arrivals 2025: the key numbers
Johor counts visitors in two different ways, and both matter. One counts tourists who stay at least one night; the other counts every international entry at the land crossings, including day-trippers.
| Measure | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tourist arrivals (overnight) | 10.63 million | 2025 | Johor state assembly reply, The Star |
| of which domestic | 7.38 million | 2025 | The Star |
| of which international (stayed at least one night) | 3.25 million | 2025 | The Star |
| International visitor entries at land crossings | 24.7 million | 2025 | The Star |
| of which from Singapore | 19.38 million | 2025 | The Star |
| Singapore share of foreign visitors | more than 78% | Jan–Jul 2025 | Tourism Johor |
What this means for you: the overnight figure (10.63 million) is what hotels and short-stay hosts care about. The entry figure (24.7 million) is what retailers, restaurants and services near the CIQ care about, because most of those visitors spend money in the city on the same day, and many cross repeatedly.
Why the numbers look so different
A common source of confusion is seeing “10 million” in one article and “24 million” in another. Both can be right.
- Tourist arrivals usually refer to people who stay at least one night in paid or private accommodation. In Johor’s 2025 figures, this includes Malaysians from other states.
- Visitor entries or movements count each crossing into Johor, so a Singaporean who visits JB every weekend is counted many times a year.
- Quarterly “visitor arrivals” reported in 2026 (for example, 6.08 million in January–March 2026) appear to be broader visitor counts, so they should not be compared directly with the overnight target.
The practical lesson: when you see a tourism number used to sell property, ask which measure it is.
Visit Johor 2026: target and progress
Visit Johor Year 2026 (Tahun Melawat Johor 2026) is the state’s tourism campaign, running alongside Visit Malaysia 2026. It targets 12 million visitors and RM42.48 billion in tourism receipts for 2026.
How is it going?
- January–March 2026: about 6.08 million visitor arrivals, compared with 5.96 million in the same period of 2025, with Singapore the largest market at more than 4.7 million (Tourism Johor, May 2026).
- January–June 2026: 4.7 million overnight visitors, according to Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi, who said Johor is on track for its 12 million target (The Star, October 2026).
- Extension into 2027: the state plans to extend the campaign into 2027, in line with Visit Malaysia 2026 being extended to the end of 2027. Details are due at the Johor Budget 2027 presentation on 19 November 2026.
Where the money is going
The state has spent about RM187 million building and upgrading tourism products, including Johor Zoo, Danga Park, Muzium Tokoh Johor, the Sultan Abu Bakar Heritage Complex and Kampung Sungai Melayu, and expects to spend at least another RM50 million in 2027. A Night Zoo at Johor Zoo opened in March 2026. Johor Zoo and the Sultan Abu Bakar Heritage Complex are both in the JB city centre area, a short drive from the CIQ.
Singapore day-trippers: the backbone of JB tourism
Singapore is by far Johor’s biggest source of visitors. In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 14 million foreign visitors entered Johor, over 11 million of them Singaporeans, according to the state’s unity, culture and heritage committee. Nationally, Singapore visitors to Malaysia rose 22.5% year on year to about 10.29 million in January–June 2025, according to the Tourism Minister.
The scale shows in border data too. Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority reported close to 245 million travellers through its checkpoints in 2025, about three in four through the land checkpoints, with a record of close to 589,000 land travellers on 19 December 2025.
Why Singaporeans come: the exchange rate makes meals, groceries, personal care and leisure noticeably cheaper; JB is close enough for a same-day trip; and the range of malls, food streets and services keeps growing. For a closer look at the price gap, see our JB vs Singapore cost of living guide.
What the RTS Link changes for visitors
The RTS Link will connect Woodlands North with Bukit Chagar in about 5 minutes, with capacity of up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Passenger service is targeted for February 2027, and the fare has not yet been announced.
For tourism, the RTS matters because it lands visitors directly in JB city centre, within walking distance of JB Sentral, City Square, the heritage quarter and the CIQ area. A shopper who today drives or takes a bus across the Causeway could instead arrive by train and walk. The Menteri Besar has highlighted 2027 as significant because of the RTS opening, one reason the campaign is being extended. Our RTS Link latest news page tracks the opening.
Bukit Chagar station is linked to JB Sentral by a walkway of about 400 m, so visitors can continue by KTM trains, buses and taxis from one hub. To ease traffic around the station, the federal and state governments are adding buses, dedicated bus lanes and shuttle services from early 2027, with a longer-term elevated e-ART network planned; see our Johor ART guide. For homes and shops within walking distance, this concentration of transport means more people passing by every day.
What tourism means for short-stay rentals near the CIQ
Overnight visitors need somewhere to stay, and serviced apartments near the CIQ and RTS compete with hotels for short trips, medical visits, family gatherings and weekend breaks.
- Demand drivers: 10.63 million overnight tourist arrivals in 2025, a growing campaign target of 12 million, and an easier rail arrival from 2027.
- Location premium: guests on short trips tend to value walking access to the CIQ, RTS and malls over extra floor space.
- Layout fit: studios and dual-key units suit short stays; one part can be rented while the owner keeps the other.
Typical short-stay guests in JB city centre include families visiting relatives, visitors combining shopping with medical or dental appointments, couples on weekend breaks, and business travellers with meetings in the city. Each group values the same thing: being able to walk from the crossing to where they sleep, eat and shop. If you plan to host, a professional manager can handle cleaning, check-ins and pricing, but their fees should be in your numbers from the start.
But what about the rules? Short-term rental is allowed or restricted building by building, through house rules and local authority guidelines. Always check the strata by-laws and current Johor and local council requirements before you plan a short-stay strategy. Our Airbnb near the JB RTS guide covers the practical side, and our JB city centre development guide explains the wider regeneration.
What tourism means for retail near the CIQ
Retail near the CIQ benefits from the sheer number of same-day visitors. With about 19.38 million Singapore visitor entries in 2025, shops, cafés, clinics and services close to the crossing see a customer base far larger than the local population alone.
Causewayz Square is designed with this in mind: its podium includes about 90,000 sq ft of retail and lifestyle space, and a hospitality operator is planned for the Axis tower. The site is about 600 m from the CIQ and about 800 m from RTS Bukit Chagar, and a pedestrian link to the CIQ/RTS area has been proposed by the developer. Target completion is around 2030. See our Causewayz Square mall guide for the retail plan.
Further from the crossing, The Asteriaz and The Celestz at Kebun Teh sit next to KSL City, one of JB’s busiest malls for Singapore shoppers, about a 10-minute drive from the CIQ. Expected completion is 2029–2030.
Questions buyers ask about tourism and JB property
“Is JB tourism just a post-pandemic rebound that will fade?” The data points to more than a rebound. Singapore’s checkpoints handled about 245 million travellers in 2025, well above the 217.3 million recorded in 2019, before the pandemic. Arrivals in early 2026 were also slightly ahead of early 2025. Flows can still change with exchange rates and the economy, so treat tourism as one support for demand, not the only one.
“Will the RTS make visitors skip staying overnight?” A faster crossing could encourage more same-day trips, which mainly benefits retail and services near the station. At the same time, an easier journey lowers the effort of a short break, which can encourage more weekend stays. The likely effect is more visits overall, with the city centre best placed to capture both kinds.
“Is short-stay income reliable enough to cover my instalment?” Short-stay income is seasonal, peaking around school holidays, festive periods and long weekends, and it comes with cleaning, management and platform costs. Many owners plan around a long-term tenant and treat short stays as an option. Our JB condo rental yield guide shows typical long-term rents near the RTS.
A simple way to use these numbers
- Separate the measures. Use overnight figures for short-stay planning and entry figures for retail footfall.
- Check the building rules first. A short-stay plan only works if the strata by-laws allow it.
- Run conservative numbers. Model a long-term rental as your base case and treat short-stay income as upside. Try the JB property calculator.
- Watch 19 November 2026. The Johor Budget 2027 is expected to give details of the extended tourism campaign.
For the latest SPA price list and floor plans of Causewayz Square, The Asteriaz and The Celestz, WhatsApp us.
Sources
- The Star: Johor eyeing 12 million visitors, RM42.48bil receipts (4 May 2026)
- Tourism Johor: Singaporeans top Johor arrivals as Visit Johor 2026 gathers pace (May 2026)
- The Star: Visit Johor 2026 campaign set to be extended to next year (27 Oct 2026)
- The Star: Visit Johor 2026 campaign to be extended into 2027 (26 Oct 2026)
- Tourism Johor: Nearly 80% of visitors to Johor in 2025 were from Singapore
- The Star: Record 245 million travellers through Singapore checkpoints in 2025 (ICA)
This guide is general information, not financial advice.