SEPANG, July 9 — The number of weekly flights from China to Kuala Lumpur, which is currently 438, is expected to rise this year, Tourism Malaysia director-general P. Manoharan said.
He said the number of flights exceeded the 370 weekly flights recorded during the pre-Covid-19 era.
“Before the pandemic, we did not have facilities such as visa exemption for China tourists, so this has turned into a major attraction for them to make Malaysia their tourist destination (of choice),” he told reporters after a reception for Qingdao Airlines’ inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Terminal 2 here today.
The five-hour direct flight is scheduled for every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and is expected to bring in 30,000 passengers to Malaysia annually, he said.
In the first four months of the year, Malaysia welcomed 959,000 Chinese tourists, thanks to the efforts of various agencies promoting Malaysia as a destination of choice, he shared.
“Every time there is a long holiday in China, they look at Malaysia as a destination that is easy to visit with many weekly flights, not only from major cities, but also other regions.
“The durian season is an additional attraction to them as well,” Manoharan said.
Malaysia previously implemented a 30-day visa exemption for Chinese and Indian nationals from December 1, 2023, to December 31, 2024.
— Bernama
