KUALA LUMPUR, 3 January 2023: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) opposes calls for Malaysia to tighten entry rules for Chinese, saying “certain parties are overreacting to the news China will resume outbound travel starting 8 January.
“Outright calls to shut our borders to Chinese travellers at this very early stage are irrational and irresponsible,” said MATTA president Datuk Tan Kok Liang. “Since the reopening of our borders in early 2022, our country has been making steady, positive progress towards recovery and any knee-jerk reaction to re-introduce restrictions without proper planning risks undoing all that we have achieved,”
He added: “MATTA has complete faith in the Ministry of Health Malaysia to manage Chinese arrivals just as they have done with other travellers from all over the world. The government’s decision should balance the health and well-being of the people and Malaysia’s reputation as a safe destination and the economic ramifications of its policies in this matter. It must also benchmark with current global practices while considering its capacity and limitations rather than bow to lobbyist groups”.
Data from Tourism Malaysia indicates that 3.1 million Chinese tourists visited Malaysia in 2019, making it the country’s third-largest source market for international arrivals. Initial estimates suggest that 1.2 million Chinese will travel to Malaysia in 2023, which is expected to generate approximately MYR3.6 billion in tourism receipts.
“Bear in mind that Chinese travellers won’t arrive all at once,” said Tan. “It will allow the government to monitor and manage the situation as it develops. To that end, the national travel association will provide feedback to help the government tackle and manage this process as it unfolds”.
