Malaysia holidays are proving even more popular as visitors are increasingly viewing the country as a luxury destination.

New figures from the Malaysian government show arrivals in the country rose to over 24.7 million last year from around 24.5 million in 2010.

Malaysia is also generating extra income from its tourist trade, which is being geared towards the luxury end of the market.

Since 2010 the Ministry of Tourism has launched a number of events designed to attract new visitors, including the Malaysia International Shoe Festival and the Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival.

"The branding of Malaysia as a luxury destination and our efforts to attract high-yield tourists to Malaysia have been well received and this has made a difference," said tourism minister Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Visitors from the UK topped 400,000, while Singapore remains the biggest inbound market, accounting for over 13 million tourists to Malaysia.

Arrivals from Kazakhstan rose by two-thirds and visitor numbers from New Zealand were up 23 per cent, thanks to a new Tourism Malaysia office in Auckland.