Malaysian leadership announced an extended visa
exemption for Chinese travellers until end of 2026 during Chinese premier Li
Qiang’s recent three-day official visit to Malaysia.
The 30-day visa exemption was first announced by
Malaysia prime minister Anwar Ibrahim in November 2023, and it came into effect
on December 1.
In May this year, China had agreed to extend its
visa-free policy for Malaysian tourists until the end of 2025 and the visa-free
duration per trip had also been extended from 15 to 30 days.
Anwar and Li said in a joint statement that they
welcomed the keen interest in continuing consultations and discussions on
mutual visa exemptions to facilitate the entry of Malaysian and Chinese
citizens.
Uzaidi Udanis, chairman of the Consortium of
Inbound Tourism Alliance, opined that the visa exemption for Chinese travellers
to Malaysia as well as Malaysians travelling to China, will allow the travel
trade from Malaysia and China to continue with their campaigns and promotions
to attract quality tourists and niche segments such as business travellers from
both countries.
He shared: “It is also a timely announcement by the
Malaysian prime minister as Malaysia prepares for Visit Malaysia Year 2026. It
will encourage more Chinese travellers to visit Malaysia and help the country
achieve its target of 35.6 million tourists and target receipts of RM147.1
billion (US$31.2 billion).
“China is very important market as it is the top
medium-haul inbound market in terms of number of tourists. Also, with this
latest announcement, it will encourage airlines (based in) Malaysia and China
to improve their connectivity and frequencies between Malaysia and China.”
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