By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 22: Malaysia is eyeing opportunities to serve as a convenient transit hub for Muslim pilgrims from Xinjiang on their way to or from pilgrimage in the Middle East, with the aim of strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Muslim tourism between both regions.
Federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, who is currently on an official working visit to Northwest China, shared that he is the first Malaysian Cabinet Minister to make an official visit to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
His courtesy visit to Erkin Tuniyaz, Chairman of the Xinjiang regional government, was also attended by Vice Chairman Kaiser Keyum, Secretary-General Wang Kuiran, Xu Ruijun (Party Secretary of the Department of Culture and Tourism), and other senior officials.
“I hope this trip will help strengthen ties between Malaysia and the Xinjiang regional government, particularly in tourism and culture exchanges, and pave the way for mutually beneficial cooperation,” Tiong said in a statement posted on his official Facebook page today.
The minister revealed that discussions centred on tapping into the Muslim tourism market, particularly in developing pilgrimage-related travel packages.
“When I visited the Middle East last year, colleagues from Bahrain and Oman asked me to help connect them with the Chinese Muslim travel market, suggesting that pilgrims could also take the opportunity to visit nearby countries.
“So I proposed to the Chairman that Malaysia could serve as a convenient transit point, where Muslim pilgrims from Xinjiang could stop over for a day or two on their way to or from pilgrimage,” he explained.
Tiong also welcomed Xinjiang’s proposal to promote tourism to their region in Malaysia, especially to attract Malaysian Muslim travellers. He emphasised that there is strong potential for collaboration in Muslim tourism that can benefit both sides and create opportunities for wider partnerships and shared economic growth.
“I’m pleased that the Chairman agreed with the idea and sees great potential for further cooperation. He suggested building on our existing ties and expanding collaboration in tourism and culture,” he added.
Tiong said the delegation’s week-long working trip includes a visit to Lanzhou next, noting that the region has the largest Muslim population in China. The main goal of the mission is to tap into the Chinese Muslim travel market.
While in Urumqi and Lanzhou, Tiong said the delegation will also meet with local tourism players and officiate the launch of the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 and Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programmes. — DayakDaily
