Malaysia to Grant Visa-Free Entry for Chinese and Indian Travelers
Skift Take
Key Points
- Malaysia to grant visa-free entry to Chinese and Indian travelers starting December 1 for up to 30 days.
- China and India are significant source markets for Malaysia's tourism industry.
- The move follows similar visa-free policies by neighboring Thailand to boost tourism and the economy.
Summary
Malaysia will offer visa-free entry to Chinese and Indian travelers for stays up to 30 days starting December 1, as announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. This move aims to boost tourism, with China and India being major source markets. The policy mirrors actions taken by neighboring Thailand to stimulate their tourism and economy. Current statistics show a significant decrease in tourist arrivals from these countries compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Malaysia will grant visa-free entry to citizens of China and India for stays of up to 30 days starting on Dec. 1, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar made the announcement late on Sunday during a speech at his People's Justice Party congress and did not say for how long the visa exemption would be applicable.
China and India are Malaysia's fourth and fifth-largest source markets respectively.
According to government data, Malaysia recorded 9.16 million tourist arrivals between January and June this year, with 498,540 from China and 283,885 from India. That compared to 1.5 million arrivals from China and 354,486 from India in the same period of 2019, prior to the pandemic.
The move follows similar measures implemented by neighbouring Thailand to boost its vital tourism sector and stimulate its sluggish economy, with Chinese and Indian nationals among those exempted this year.
Currently, Chinese and Indian nationals must apply for visas to enter Malaysia.
(Reporting by Danial Azhar; Editing by Martin Petty)
This article was from Reuters and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
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