KUALA LUMPUR (June 24): Malaysia welcomed over 7.56 million foreign tourists in the first four months of the year, marking a growth of 27.5% compared to the same period last year.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing noted that this achievement places Malaysia as the second-highest recipient of foreign tourists in Asean, behind Thailand with 12 million tourists and ahead of Vietnam with 6.2 million, Singapore with 5.71 million, and Indonesia with 4.1 million during the same period.

"In addition, during the first quarter, Malaysian tourism contributed RM22.23 billion to the national coffers, reflecting a 66% increase compared to the first quarter of 2023. In 2023, total tourism revenue amounted to RM71.31 billion, up from RM28.23 billion in 2022," Tiong said in a written parliamentary reply to Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Puchong).

Tiong said that the ministry has implemented a comprehensive strategy to further boost the tourism sector. This includes active participation in international tourism exhibitions, conducting roadshows in key markets such as Australia, China, Europe, India, Japan, Korea, the Gulf and Nordic countries.

Furthermore, the ministry is leveraging digital channels, such as social media to enhance visibility among tourists and travel agents in target markets, while also tailoring tourism products to specific segments and market demands, as well as improving accessibility with increased flight frequencies and seating capacity.

"The ministry has also engaged in discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Immigration Department to streamline entry processes for foreign tourists, potentially introducing visa-on-arrival (VOA), multiple-entry visas, eVisas and transit visas," Tiong added.

Responding to a separate query from Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera), Tiong said that Chinese and Indian tourist arrivals to Malaysia have risen significantly since the implementation of the visa liberalisation programme, which allows visa-free entry for 30 days for citizens of both countries.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia more than tripled to 1.12 million from December 2023 to April 2024, compared to 332,144 tourists during the same period the previous year.

Meanwhile, Indian tourist arrivals also increased by 82.3% year-on-year to 380,737 for the same period, compared to 208,907 tourists previously.

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