SEPANG, 1 August 2024 – Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing along with Mr. Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, representatives from AirAsia and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) today welcomed flight passengers aboard the AirAsia from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Terminal 2).

AirAsia’s flight AK 181 which landed at 7.00 p.m. will now operate as a new route connecting Ningbo and Kuala Lumpur three times a week on an Airbus A320, which has a seating capacity of 180 passengers. Similarly, new AirAsia direct flights connecting Ningbo to Kota Kinabalu will commence on 2 nd August 2024, operating three times a week on an Airbus A320 with a seating capacity of 180 passengers.

The expansion of routes from China is a result of the Minister’s efforts during his official work visit, and the sales mission in China has yielded positive outcomes. These two new routes represent a significant milestone in boosting tourist traffic from Zhejiang Province which only caters from Hangzhou to Malaysia.

Chinese travellers can now effortlessly experience Malaysia's varied offerings, from the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur to the immaculate beaches of Sipadan Island, the cultural splendours of Malacca, and the opportunity to partake in a unique cultural attraction, historical landmarks, and delectable Malaysian cuisine, thanks to the introduction of these direct flights.

The visa-free policy for Chinese nationals to Malaysia effective 1st December 2023 until 31 December 2026 has seen a significant increase in bookings to Malaysia. As of May 2024, Malaysia has welcomed 1,185,050 arrivals from China, an exponential growth of 194% in comparison to the same period in 2023 with 403,121 arrivals.

This new route presents an outstanding opportunity to increase the number of visitors from Chinese cities. Tourism Malaysia is dedicated to establishing further strategic alliances and working with foreign and local airlines to improve its marketing initiatives and increase the number of Chinese travellers.

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About Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination.

Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. The next Visit Malaysia Year, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

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