MALAYSIA will implement an online visa application process for China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Canada and the US by mid-2016, announced prime minister Najib Abdul Razak during his recent national budget speech.
Welcoming the move, Tan Kok Liang, vice president inbound, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), said: “It will encourage visa applications and reduce administrative burden while maintaining strict and effective immigration controls.”
Adam Kamal, deputy president 2, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, is also sanguine. “It will certainly help last-minute bookings to Malaysia but we still need to wait for the immigration department to come out with a circular on the implementation of e-visa as tourists will need to know if there will be costs involved,” he commented.
For 2016, the Malaysian government is targeting 30.5 million arrivals and RM103 billion (US$24.2 billion) in tourism receipts, up from this year’s goal of 29.4 million arrivals and 89 billion ringgit in tourism receipts. The government has also allocated a RM1.2 billion budget to the Tourism and Culture Ministry for next year.
