SEPANG, July 9: The number of weekly flights from China to Kuala Lumpur, which currently stands at 438, is expected to rise this year, says Tourism Malaysia director-general P Manoharan.
He said the current number of flights had exceeded the 370 weekly flights recorded during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic.
“Before the pandemic, we did not have facilities such as visa exemption for China tourists, so this (exemption) has turned into a major attraction for them to make Malaysia their tourist destination (of choice),” he told reporters after the welcoming reception of Qingdao Airlines’ inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur at Terminal 2 of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here today.
The five-hour Qingdao-Kuala Lumpur direct flight is scheduled for every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and is expected to bring in 30,000 passengers to Malaysia annually, he added.
In the first four months of this year, Malaysia has received 959,000 Chinese tourists, thanks to various agencies promoting Malaysia as a destination of choice, he said.
“So, every time there is a long holiday period in China, they (usually) look at Malaysia as a tourist destination that is easy to visit with many weekly flights, not only from major cities but also from smaller cities. The durian season acts an additional attraction to them as well,” Manoharan said.
— BERNAMA