Visa-free entry for Chinese tourists in Malaysia

Landscape of downtown Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. [Photo/nawanr.com]

Malaysia has scrapped the visa requirement for Chinese tourists starting from March.

The measure aims to revive the country's tourist industry and build up the economy.

Li Zhongping, head of GTC Travel Group, says the new policy is the right move.

"All the people in the industry are dreaming about waiving the visa. We hope this announcement is final and really can help boom the inbound tourism for Malaysia, to bring a lot of China tourists to help the local economy."

Over the past year, the Malaysian government has also taken a series of measures to attract more Chinese tourists to the country, including waiving visa fees and introducing an e-visa scheme for visitors from China.

The measures are aimed at reversing a slide in the number of Chinese tourists to the country since Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 with 154 Chinese passengers on board.

However, Hamzah Rahmat, head of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents, says some of these previous measures may not have been properly implemented.

"The government officials from the other ministries other than the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, they really need to understand what tourism is all about and what tourism brings to the country, especially the economy of the country."

Rahmat adds that he hopes the visa-free measure will be made permanent to turn Malaysia into a favorite destination for Chinese tourists.