By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 1: In a significant boost to Malaysia’s tourism industry, China Eastern Airlines flew its inaugural direct flight from Yantai, Shandong to Kuala Lumpur.
Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Sri Tiong King Sing stated that this new route marks a significant milestone in Malaysia-China bilateral relations and will boost Malaysia’s tourism industry.
“I would like to sincerely thank China Eastern Airlines for their efforts to make new flights connecting Malaysia a reality,” he said in a Facebook post.
He revealed that previously, his ministry held numerous meetings with China Eastern Airlines to secure more direct flights from second and third tier Chinese cities to Malaysia.
“During a marketing mission to China in January 2024, I had the opportunity to dine and exchange ideas with Wang Zhiqing, chairman of the China Eastern Airlines Group.
“He responded positively and indicated that China Eastern is exploring the feasibility of opening more direct flights from Chinese cities to Malaysia, hoping to gain friendly cooperation from our agencies to ensure the smooth launch of these routes,” he stated.
Tiong also stated that during his visit to China Eastern Airlines Group’s headquarters in Shanghai on May 30, he learnt of the airline’s plans to open several new routes in the second half of the year, including the newly launched route from Yantai, Shandong.
“I urge Tourism Malaysia to ride on this momentum to increase the promotion and publicity efforts for these new direct flight destinations to Malaysia.
“At the same time, develop more tourism-related products and highlights to attract a large tourist base to our local market.
“This will help activate our market and spark more national economic growth,” Tiong said. — DayakDaily
