Malaysia has announced COVID-19 standard operating procedure relaxation in which vaccinated travellers and children below 12 years are exempted from COVID tests ahead of departure and arrival, a Tourism Malaysia official said on Friday. According to Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia), India remains one of the top markets for Malaysia and has contributed 7,35,309 arrivals in 2019.

"Since the re-opening of its borders, India is on the top four arrivals to Malaysia. Malaysia has opened its shores for a quarantine-free travel on April 1, 2022, to welcome fully vaccinated international travellers," Tourism Malaysia director (South India and Sri Lanka) Razaidi Abd Rahim said. "From May 1, Malaysia has further announced COVID-19 SOP (standard operating procedure) relaxation where vaccinated travellers and children aged under 12 years are exempted from pre-departure and on-arrival test," he was quoted as saying in a press release.

Travellers visiting Malaysia were also exempted from COVID-19 insurance, he said. "Currently, Malaysia's eVISA can be applied online and more than 14,000 seats are offered weekly between India and Malaysia through Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air (Malindo Air), AirAsia, IndiGo and Air India Express," he said.

Tourism Malaysia, ahead of Chennai, has conducted roadshow in New Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. International promotion division (Asia and Africa) senior director Manoharan Periasamy said, "This is the right time to be back in India, and planning for this roadshow is very opportune." The resumption of scheduled international flights from India coincides with the reopening of Malaysia's international borders, he said."