“In April, this year, we recorded nearly 900,000 tourist arrivals from China. Last year, the total was four million,” he said, quoted by NST.
This is considered a positive indicator for the government to pursue such initiatives for the benefit of both countries, he said.
“China remains the main source of international tourists in Malaysia, followed by India. Among the countries of the Anase, Singapore leads, followed by Thailand,” he added, referring to the association of Southeast Asia Nations.
“Tourism continues to be a key contributor to the national economy, given its immediate impact on other forms of investment,” said Saifuddin.
Before the announcement of the extension, the Malaysians could go to China without visa until December 31 of this year, while Chinese nationals could take advantage of travel without visa in Malaysia until December 31 of next year, according to the star.
The Malaysian association of touring and travel agents, Nigel Wong, said that the extension of visas will allow the tourism industry to better develop the Chinese entering market.
“There is stability for the industry to plan in advance and stimulate efforts to attract more Chinese tourists,” he said by the star, highlighting the growing demand for Chinese travelers looking for experiential tourism products.
“These are no longer conventional tours. Instead, innovative and creative experiences such as culinary tourism, heritage and culture, as well as ecotourism products, are popular with foreign tourists,” added Nigel.
It also expects the advantages of visa extension to go beyond the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.
“Tourism tends to climb after the Visit Malaysia campaign and this decision will be very good,” he said.
The Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign is a national desire to stimulate incoming tourism, with a series of daring objectives, including 35.6 million international arrivals and 147.1 billion RM (33 billion US dollars) in tourist revenues.
The president of Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association Mint Leong said that the extension without a visa will give the players in the industry a clear management when Malaysia promotes Chinese tourists.
“Malaysia will also have the opportunity to attract more commercial events and business travelers because of this,” said Leong, quoted by The Star.
Meanwhile, the general treasurer of the associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and the Koong Lin Loong industry said that this decision can further stimulate the national gross domestic product, because “the hotel industry should also benefit”.
“Chinese tourists will think that there are fewer hassles due to the conditions without visa and when they arrive, they will certainly spend in goods as well as food and drinks,” he said.
While the arrivals of Chinese tourists in Malaysia continue to increase, the Bangkok Post reported a drop in arrivals in Thailand, reaching a hollow for 2025 with only 5,833 visitors recorded on April 16, below the usual daily average of 15,000 to 20,000.
Natthriya Thaweevong, president of Tourism Authority of Thailand, said that the average number of Asian tourists visiting Thailand has dropped, probably due to “security problems” and “the economic impact of American tariff hiking”.
Security concerns probably refer to the large scale Removing Chinese actor Wang Xing in Thailand.
As of April 20, the total number of Chinese arrivals this year was 1.5 million, followed by Malaysians at 1.4 million and Russians at 835,385, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
Last year, the Minister of Thailand at the time, Srettha Thavisin, announced that Chinese nationals would benefit from an entry without a visa on a permanent basis from March 1, 2024.
Last January, Singapore and China also agreed with a 30 -day mutual visa entry For their citizens, almost two months after the announcement of the proposal.
