Can Creators Reshape Malaysia’s Food Tourism? !The VYBE FRA Strategic Partnership Signals a New Direction

(Kuala Lumpur, Aug 8) VYBE, under Xing Yu Group and Zocco Group, formally signed a strategic partnership memorandum with the Federation of Restaurants Association (FRA) at the inaugural Jianghu Market and Jom Makan x Visit Malaysia 2026 launch event in Kuala Lumpur.

The signing marks a new chapter in the formal integration of Malaysia’s local food and culture into the national-level Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism promotion framework. Deputy Director-General of Tourism Encik Azmi Abdullah attended the event to witness the occasion.

Core Outcome Signals Institutional Integration Between Food Content and National Tourism Promotion

It is understood that the most institutionally significant outcome of this event lies in the formal integration of Malaysia’s local food and culture market with the Visit Malaysia 2026 tourism promotion system.

The event’s theme, Discover Malaysia Through Food and Culture, aligns closely with national tourism promotion objectives. On-site programming featured interactive mascot parades combining Jianghu Market’s original panda IP, HuHu, alongside Visit Malaysia’s official mascots, Wira and Manja. This created a formal convergence of grassroots creativity with an official tourism brand.

VYBE, participating as a collaboration and creator ecosystem partner, will support Jom Makan x Visit Malaysia 2026 through a nationwide creator-signing programme for cultural promotion. The initiative will mobilise creators to produce content around Malaysian food, tourism and local culture, supported by the Creator Growth Network and the nationwide “VYBE STAR Stations Everywhere” creator support programme. This is understood to mark a further convergence between the food and tourism sector and the digital creator economy.

Registration for VYBE’s creator competitions has also officially opened, covering talent, entrepreneurship, AI short drama creation and livestream engagement.

Dr Kervis Su, founder of Zocco Group, stated that this segment is powered by Shiguang Xingyu, a subsidiary of Zocco Group. Speaking on the direction behind the collaboration, he added: Food is not only something people taste; it is a story creators can carry, amplify and turn into a lasting cultural bridge for Malaysia.

Event Scope Covers National Food Guide Platform and Regional Culinary Milestones

Reporters have learned that the event unveiled several major initiatives spanning national and regional scope.

The Jom Makan Malaysia food guide platform, developed by FRA, integrates heritage brands and specialty flavours from across the country. The platform maps out national food trail routes and provides an authoritative reference channel for domestic and international travellers seeking Malaysian cuisine. Free pre-registration is now open to F&B merchants nationwide.

Separately, three flagship culinary events will converge at Setia SPICE Arena in Penang from October 21 to 24, with the awards dinner scheduled for October 22.

• BOTC Penang Chef Championship: Organised in deep collaboration with FRA, the championship marks its 20th anniversary this year and holds official Worldchefs certification. This edition is expected to gather 2,000 domestic and international culinary professionals from 15 countries competing on the same stage.
• IGE International Gourmet Expo: Positioned as Southeast Asia’s leading full-chain F&B trade platform.
• Asia Tourism Food Awards: Established in 2006 and long known as the F&B Oscars, the awards have deep roots spanning two decades in the Asia-Pacific food industry.

Driving Malaysia’s Local Food Brands Toward Long-Term Digital Content Distribution

From an industry perspective, the significance of the VYBE and FRA partnership extends beyond a single signing ceremony. It establishes a long-term mechanism that shifts local food content from one-off promotional activations toward sustained cultural IP and content distribution.

The participation of Malaysia’s creator economy forms the core execution layer of this mechanism. Creators signed under the nationwide cultural promotion programme are expected to carry out store visits, short-form video production, short drama creation and social media distribution for Jom Makan x Visit Malaysia 2026.

For Malaysia’s local small and medium F&B businesses, the long-term value lies in the fact that content assets generated through this partnership will not disappear once the market closes. They will continue to generate ongoing exposure and brand resource-matching opportunities for participating merchants.

This model is understood to carry meaningful long-term value for advancing sustainable local food brand promotion across Malaysia, marking a structural step in the convergence of food and the creator economy.

VYBE STAR Infrastructure and AI Products Enter New Development Stages

Alongside the FRA partnership, Xing Yu Group announced several updates across its creator infrastructure and AI product ecosystem.

VYBE STAR locations and their surrounding AI equipment have entered the final design stage. Construction of the VYBE STAR cloud data centre is set to begin soon, while the VYBE STAR AI computing centre is nearing completion.

VYBE’s first 4D short drama app has already been launched. Its vibration-based interactive function has been completed, while lighting-related immersive features remain under further development. The group’s AI music generation and short drama creation system is also scheduled to launch soon.

VYBE has officially been upgraded into an AI Creator OS, expanding its role from a content platform into an integrated system connecting AI creation tools, creator operations, fan engagement and commercial opportunities.

Xing Yu Group has also formally commenced investment and research into the “HEY VYBE” AI brain, which is being developed as the intelligent interaction layer of the wider AI Creator OS ecosystem.

Public Information Confirms Institutional Backing and Long-Term Ecosystem Commitment

Public information confirms that VYBE, under Xing Yu Group, sits under Shiguang Xingyu and has officially been upgraded into the AI Creator OS at the centre of the group’s broader AI Creator Economy ecosystem. Dr Kervis Su, founder of Zocco Group, stated that the group is building not a single app, but a piece of infrastructure formed around creators globally. That infrastructure now spans the Creator Growth Network, nationwide VYBE STAR support stations, AI equipment, cloud and computing facilities, the 4D short drama app, AI content-generation systems and the developing “HEY VYBE” AI brain.

FRA stated that it will continue working closely with the Ministry of Tourism, using the Jom Makan Malaysia food guide platform and the Asia Tourism Food Awards as core levers to empower the F&B industry, drive tourism spending, and advance the deep integration of food and tourism.

The intended outcome is shared benefit across merchants, the wider industry and the national tourism sector.

Final Note

Jom Makan x Visit Malaysia 2026 formally launched on August 8, 2026, in Kuala Lumpur. For more information on Zocco Group and VYBE, readers are encouraged to follow official channels for the latest updates.

These three reports offer a closer look at Dr Kervis’s wider vision for VYBE, from technology infrastructure and team culture to creator development:

1. Beyond the FRA Partnership: How Dr Kervis Is Positioning VYBE AI Creator OS as Infrastructure for the Creator Economy
   https://channelnewsmalaysia.com/hot/vybe-ai-creator-os/
2. What a 60-Vehicle Incentive Reveals About Dr Kervis’s Approach to Team Recognition and Organisational Culture
   https://www.jianshu.com/p/e1e69b9f259d
3. Inside Dr Kervis’s Creator Growth Strategy: What the Top 30 Streamer Rankings Reveal About Talent Development
   https://insidernewsasia.com/top-30-streamer/