Tiong: Tourism Ministry targets 7 mln Chinese tourist arrivals this year

SIBU (Feb 1): The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) in collaboration with tourism industry players, including Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association (MICA), is targeting seven million inbound Chinese tourist arrivals this year, said its minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.

He said leveraging the visa free policy for Chinese tourists which was launched last December is the way forward to achieve the target.

“Motac in collaboration with tourism industry players, including MICA aims to attract seven million inbound (Chinese) tourists to Malaysia this year, leveraging the visa free policy that was launched in December 2023.

“Muslim Friendly Tourism and Hospitality (MFTH) also targets at least 1 million (Muslim) tourist arrivals this year. Malaysia has already witnessed a substantial surge in tourist arrivals from both China and India since the implementation of the visa waiver policy.

“In November 2023, Malaysia welcomed 124,000 visitors from China and 52,000 from India. This number grew significantly in December, with 168,000 tourists from China and 84,000 from India, reflecting a robust month-on-month increase of 35.1 per cent and 60.9 per cent respectively.

“These statistics greatly enhance our confidence in promoting Malaysia Tourism for the remainder of the year,” Tiong said in a Facebook post today.

He pointed out that Motac is dedicated to improving tourism sectors and hoped for the support of all related parties, industry players, as well as all Malaysians for initiatives under the ministry.

Additionally, collaboration with the state governments and local tourism expos is crucial as well.

The Bintulu MP also announced a sum of RM50,000 will be allocated to MICA as a gesture of support for their efforts to boost, educate and promote the inbound tourism industry.