BEIJING: Tourism Malaysia Director here, Razali bin Tuan Omar said the number of visas issued to Chinese tourists travelling to Malaysia has increased since the international borders were reopened.
“For example, in March 2023, a total of 72,975 visas were issued. In April 2023 and May 2023, some 87,191 visas and 100,165 visas were issued, respectively,” he told Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
Malaysia was in the news recently over claims of corruption and abuse of power against Chinese tourists by Immigration officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
There were videos that went viral of hundreds of Chinese tourists stranded at the KLIA or denied entry.
Following this, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) President Datuk Tan Kok Liang suggested that these Chinese tourist consider going to Sabah and Sarawak where they would be most welcome.
Liew, who is leading a Sabah tourism delegation on work visits to Xi’an, Shanghai and Beijing, hailed Malaysia Airlines’ move to reserve some 20 seats on every flight to divers, as an incentive.
“This attractive offer will lure leisure travellers and adventure seekers to world-renowned diving destinations in Sabah,” she said.
Earlier she was told that quite a number of people in China still know nothing about Sabah or that it is a part of Malaysia.
At the mention of Malaysia, young adults in particular can only resonate with Kuala Lumpur.
However, she is optimistic this would change after her series of meetings with government officials, airline representatives (including China’s major airlines) and industry leaders to boost international tourism.
She welcomed AirAsia’s proposal to set up an office in Beijing to aggressively promote Sabah as a preferred tourist destination, and to create a social media platform for young people, like TikTok, to generate publicity for Sabah.
According to the General Manager of AirAsia China, Frank Tang Ting, AirAsia operated 28 weekly direct scheduled flights from China to Kota Kinabalu during the pre-Covid 19 period versus the present (as per July 1, 2023).
The cities involved are Shenzhen (14 flights per week), Guangzhou (7 flights per week) and Wuhan (7 flights).
Currently, AirAsia has 36 direct flights weekly from China (including Hong Kong) to Kota Kinabalu, that is, Hong Kong (10 flights per week), Guangzhou (7 flights per week), Shenzhen (7 flights per week), Beijing (7 flights per week) and Wuhan (5 flights per week).
“I am upbeat about the outcome of my meetings with stakeholders in the key cities, and anticipate a further increase in the number of Chinese tourist arrivals in Sabah.
“I am of the view that all parties concerned can reap the benefits of reciprocal tourism if we are focused and collaborate to heighten our tourism activities in promoting each other’s interests for mutual gain,” Liew said.
Given a rebound in outbound tourism, she also proposed that a chartered flight be mounted from Shanghai to Tawau in the near future.
During the meetings, Liew emphasised the need to simplify the visa application process so that Malaysia-bound travellers will find it hassle-free.
Throughout her visits, she has been promoting Kunak (Sabah’s east coast town about 58km from the Tawau Airport) as yet another tourist destination for visitors to explore its natural attractions.
“Interestingly, Kunak has a relatively untapped diving spot where its exotic marine life is comparable with that of the famous Sipadan Island,” she added.
Also present at the Beijing meeting were the Ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary II Alesia Sion, Sabah Tourism Board (STB) Deputy Chief Executive Officer Tay Shu Lan, Political Secretary to the Minister Vivien Lee, Special Officer to the Minister Robert Penggai, and STB Assistant Marketing Manager Yvonne Chin.
