Malaysia eyes more traffic from China as anniversary nears

KUCHING: Malaysia is looking to improve flight connectivity between the country and China through Hainan Airlines’ 11 subsidiaries.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said this includes connecting flights, direct flights and charter services, in order to maximise the business and tourism exchanges between the two countries.

“This is doubly important for us given the start of the visa-free policy between Malaysia and China, and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our nations next year.

“These two milestones will undoubtedly lead to a surge in travel between both countries and of course, demand for more flights.

“Therefore, it is important for all parties to work together closely to discuss matters such as flight frequencies, passenger and seating capacities, flight times and the opening or adding new routes.

“This includes the development of more direct flights between the first and second-tier cities in Malaysia and China,” he said in a statement on Monday (Dec 11), in connection to a meeting with representatives from Hainan Airlines Group and travel agencies in Beijing.

In terms of marketing and promotion strategies, Tiong said three agencies namely Tianshiyuan Travel, Beijing Bao Sheng Air Service and Beijing Little DragonFly Airline Servie have reached a long term strategic partnership with AirAsia.

“The combined sales of AirAsia tickets by these three agencies account for 35 per cent of AirAsia’s global ticket sales, and 70 per cent of AirAsia’s sales in China. Each month, they deposit an average of RM70 million into AirAsia’s prepaid account,” he said.

Tiong added that the two sides also explored the potential for cooperation in promoting charter flights and Muslim-friendly tourism through JD.com’s vast platform.