By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Dec 17: Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) has extended a warm welcome to Chinese travel agents and service providers, encouraging them to explore Malaysia’s diverse tourism offerings.
These include heritage cities like Melaka and Penang, as well as popular destinations such as Forest City in Johor and the Gold Coast of Selangor, catering to niche markets like summer holidays, durian tours, and more.
Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing highlighted that Malaysia had already welcomed over 2.5 million Chinese visitors by September this year.
“There is significant potential to launch more innovative packages, such as shopping tours in collaboration with malls offering special discounts.
“Malaysia has always been a preferred destination for Chinese tourists, with East Malaysia products, in particular, being well-received,” he said in a post shared on his social media, following a fruitful meeting with Guangdong China Women International Travel Service in Kuala Lumpur today.
Founded in 1989, Guangdong China Women International Travel Service is one of the region’s pioneering outbound tour operators, with its Yuexiu branch excelling in promoting Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia.
The company has earned several accolades, including the ‘Best Outbound Travel Wholesaler’ awards from platforms like the China Outbound Travel Awards and the National Tourism Awards.
Tiong also noted that the company has received multiple awards from the Sabah Tourism Board and has welcomed over 10,000 travelers to Malaysia since the post-pandemic reopening.
Destinations like Semporna in Sabah have seen substantial growth, driven by new flight routes.
“They are now actively developing the Peninsular Malaysia market, having organised a durian-themed trip in June to enhance Malaysia’s image as a resource-rich, safe, and friendly travel destination. We greatly appreciate their efforts,” Tiong said.
Looking ahead, the Minister expressed his hopes for continued collaboration, particularly in promoting the 2025 Asean Summit and Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
In response to chairman Zhang Zhibing’s suggestion for more promotional materials and videos for online marketing, Tiong reaffirmed MOTAC’s commitment to producing high-quality destination footage to support the promotional efforts of travel agencies.
“The Chinese market holds immense potential for Malaysian tourism. With the strong friendship between Malaysia and China, along with excellent service offerings, Malaysia is well-positioned to attract more corporate groups for incentive travel activities, such as annual meetings.
“Malaysia will spare no effort in supporting these endeavours to jointly promote the growth of the tourism industries in both countries,” he added. — DayakDaily
