Malaysia has announced that it will allow visa-free entry to citizens of China and India for up to 30 days starting from December 1. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim made the announcement during a speech at his People’s Justice Party congress. However, he did not specify how long the visa exemption would be applicable.
China and India are among Malaysia’s top source markets, with China being the fourth-largest and India the fifth-largest. In the first half of this year, Malaysia recorded 9.16 million tourist arrivals, with 498,540 coming from China and 283,885 from India. This is a significant increase compared to the same period in 2019, before the pandemic, when there were 1.5 million arrivals from China and 354,486 from India.
This move by Malaysia follows similar measures implemented by Thailand, its neighboring country, to boost its tourism sector and stimulate its economy. Thailand has also exempted Chinese and Indian nationals from visa requirements this year.
Currently, Chinese and Indian nationals must apply for visas to enter Malaysia. The visa-free entry policy aims to attract more tourists from these countries and boost the tourism industry in Malaysia.
It is important to note that this news article has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.
