Compared to 2019, there have been more documented arrivals of tourists from China and India this year.

According to Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, Malaysia welcomed 1.02 million visitors from China and more than 472,000 from India between January and September of this year.

In comparison to the same period in 2019, this represents an increase of 42.2% and 87.6%, he informed the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

This was in response to a question from Lim Guan Eng (PH-Bagan) regarding whether the ministry was actively courting China and India to visit the nation.

On November 27, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim declared that visitors from China and India would be able to enter the country for 30 days without a visa as of right now.

The declaration was released in conjunction with Malaysia and China's 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties to come up in 2019.

Tiong was also questioned about how the 30-day visa waiver for visitors from China and India would help Malaysia reach its target of 25 million foreign visitors by the end of the following year.

According to him, the 30-day visa exemption is a significant step toward increasing tourism in the nation since it may draw a sizable influx of visitors from China and India.

However, the minister emphasized that Malaysia needs to make sure that tourist attractions have clean, well-maintained facilities as well as competitive, intriguing travel offerings.

The most crucial aspect is that we avoid turning every problem into a religious or racial one. To inspire confidence in foreign visitors, we ought to concentrate more on the factors that support the nation's economic development," he stated.

When asked if the government intended to increase the number of nations for which visas are waived, Tiong replied that the Home Ministry would make that decision.