By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 23: Malaysia and China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region are exploring new frontiers in two-way tourism, with collaborative plans focusing on premium travel offerings, educational and adventure tourism, and Muslim-friendly travel experiences, including innovative durian-themed tours.
Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Dato Seri Tiong King Sing, in a series of Facebook posts today, shared that these developments stemmed from meetings with top Xinjiang tourism representatives, including CYTS Xinjiang, Xinjiang Da Xi Bu Travel Service, and the Xinjiang Tourism Association.
“In a meeting with CYTS Xinjiang, we explored potential collaborations in tourism, particularly in educational and adventure travel.
“Company representative Liang Changhong presented CYTS’ core offerings, which include educational tours in Xinjiang, customised adventure packages such as self-driving, trekking, and mountaineering, as well as outbound travel products to Southeast Asia,” he said.
Currently, CYTS’ focus is on winter packages to Singapore and Malaysia, with peak demand expected around the Chinese New Year period.
Tiong also proposed student exchange programmes and promotions involving durian orchard operators, noting that Malaysia is one of Xinjiang’s top markets.
Charter flights were a key discussion point, with both sides agreeing that reverse charter routes could help reduce overall travel costs.
“I see strong potential in this partnership, especially in creative concepts like durian-themed travel, which has resonated well with past visitors.
“We look forward to deepening our bilateral cooperation and achieving mutually beneficial outcomes in the tourism sector,” Tiong added.
In a separate session, Tiong met with Xinjiang Da Xi Bu Travel Service, a major player in the outbound tourism market.
The company aims to develop in-depth travel products for Malaysia and is particularly interested in high-end island tourism packages to destinations such as Semporna.
“I expressed my full support for this collaboration, which includes coordinating charter flights, organising professional familiarisation trips, and strengthening connections between tourism operators in both regions,” he said.
Discussions also included the development of new offerings such as ethnic cultural experience tours and greater support for high-end, daily-departure group tours tailored to Xinjiang’s market.
“With the implementation of the visa-free policy between China and Malaysia, both sides are optimistic about future prospects.
“This discussion not only opened new avenues for bilateral tourism collaboration but is expected to boost high-value travel from Xinjiang to Malaysia,” said Tiong.
At a luncheon meeting with Wu Feng, President of the Xinjiang Tourism Association, Tiong explored practical solutions to deepen cooperation.
The association represents 2,000 member organisations spanning agencies, hotels, and other tourism stakeholders.
“I’m aware that Malaysia has long been one of the most popular travel destinations for Xinjiang residents, who are also avid outbound travellers.
“Both sides are committed to practical, results-driven collaboration. The Ministry will fully support initiatives such as organising familiarisation trips for travel operators, specialised visits for Muslim travel stakeholders, and engaging airlines to optimise pilgrimage-related travel routes.
“This discussion focused on practical solutions to current challenges and marks a new phase in Malaysia-Xinjiang tourism ties,” he said, adding that both parties also agreed to step up mutual familiarisation visits and jointly develop an innovative ‘Pilgrimage + Tourism’ travel product. — DayakDaily
