CHINESE travellers to Malaysia will not require a visa between March 1 and December 31 this year for stays of up to 15 days, announced Malaysian prime minister Najib Abdul Razak last week during the nation’s recalibrated 2016 budget.
Tourism Malaysia director-general, Mirza Muhammad Taiyab, was sanguine that this move may double or triple arrivals from China.
Nirubah Davi Karalasingam, head of sales at Legoland Malaysia Resort, also believes the introduction of visa-free entry will be a boon. She said: “Currently, Chinese tourists make up a small percentage of visitors so there is definitely room for growth.”
However, inbound tour operators were cautiously optimistic. Angie Ng, group chairman, EZT Tours & Travel, said: “I will wait and see if it materialises. Only when it happens will I inform my partners overseas about the visa-free entry.”
Mint Leong, secretary-general of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, said the association will also wait for confirmation before it urges its members handling the Chinese market to take appropriate action.
The scepticism stems from several earlier announcements by the government to relax visa requirements for Chinese tourists, but which failed to be implemented. These included waiving visas for tour groups and having visa-free facilities for groups of at least two.
