(TAN): Malaysia will allow Indians and Chinese to visit the country for up to 15 days without a tourist visa in 2020, reports said.
Tourists from these countries will be able to use electronic travel registration and information system for their visits – they will be able to enter Malaysia three months after registration, as per reports.
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Visitors will reportedly be permitted to enter or leave the country only through authorised airports or entry points, upon producing proof of enough cash for expenditures, travel itinerary, and a valid return ticket. Also, visitors cannot have their 15-day stay extended, or apply for any other passes under the Immigration Regulations 1963, according to reports.
The move is reportedly aimed at boosting tourism in Malaysia, with the country planning to draw 30 million international tourist arrivals for the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign which starts today. Malaysia received 25.8 million international tourists in 2018, and over 20 million in the first nine months of 2019, as per reports.
India and China, the two most populous nations in the world, and also the countries that account for a large portion of Malaysia’s income from tourism, were chosen for the campaign. So far top arrivals to Malaysia are concerned, China, India and Thailand are only preceded by Singapore and Indonesia, reports said.
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“We expect tourists arrivals from China and India to remain high with the move by the government to suspend the need for visa for one year. The exact number of tourists from the two nations will be announced early next year. Based on the latest data, tourists from the two countries are among nationals from the top five nations visiting Malaysia,” Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry Secretary-General, Datuk Dr Noor Zari Hamat was quoted by New Straits Times as saying.
Tourist arrival numbers from India and China are expected to increase following the measure, reports said.
