The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is confident that once China relaxes its travel restrictions, tourism between Malaysia and China would inevitably resume.
H.E. Ambassador Ouyang noted that in 2019, 3.1 million Chinese tourists had visited Malaysia, compared to 1.38 million Malaysians who had been to China.
His Excellency believes that the number of visitors to both countries will continue to expand significantly, keeping in mind that both places offer compelling, distinctive attractions. In order to promote both destinations, the Ambassador promised that the China Cultural Centre based in Kuala Lumpur would expedite its involvement with MATTA and further encourage tourism exchange and product updates.
Prior to the pandemic, on January 19, 2020, MATTA had planned a number of mini-shows
to mark the Malaysia-China Year of Culture and Tourism. The vice minister of the People’s Republic of China’s ministry of culture and tourism was there to commemorate the occasion of the yearlong celebration.
An invitation from MATTA has also been extended for the Ambassador to consider China
as a preferred travel destination for Malaysians to attend the national and state MATTA
Fair in 2023 because Muslim travel to China is an emerging market remarked Dato’ KL Tan, President of MATTA during the exchange of ideas. Xinjiang, Nanning, Ningxia, Gansu, Xian/Shaanxi, Qinghai, and Guilin are included on the list.
MATTA believes that China has a significant impact on driving tourism to the region as
a whole, not only Malaysia. For the past 13 years, China has been Malaysia’s leading commercial partner, and even during the brutal height of Covid-19, bilateral trade
increased.
China-Malaysia trade climbed 5.7% to US$131.16 billion (RM579.72 billion) last year
despite the pandemic’s hurdles. Malaysia and China’s bilateral trade volume increased by
34.5 percent last year to US$176.8 billion (RM781.45 billion). For the first four months
of 2022, the rise is 19.7%, equivalent to US$61.57bn in revenue (RM272.14bil).
“Other topics discussed with H.E. Ambassador Ouyang include increasing the number of
direct flights between China and Malaysia in line with the aspirations of the people of
both countries, visa updates, and investments in tourism,” added Tan.
The President of MATTA also seized the opportunity to extend an invitation to His Excellency to have a brief vacation in Sabah and climb the renowned Mount Kinabalu. In
light of the expanding business investments, business, and trade operations between the state and China, Tan suggested that the Ambassador explore the possibility of a China-based commercial bank (branch) being established in Kota Kinabalu.
Tan remarked that the Ambassador had responded positively.
“We are certain that as long as the Covid-19 situation is managed effectively, the tourism
industry will continue to expand, aided by the government’s assistance in both policy and
marketing. With the strong support and facilitation efforts overseen by His Excellency
Ouyang Yujing, we can anticipate a speedy recovery once border restrictions in China are
significantly relaxed,” Tan concluded.
