SHENZHEN, 26 August 2024 – Tourism Malaysia, in collaboration with state tourism bodies and the Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association (MICA), has embarked on a second series of sales missions to explore southern and eastern China from 26 to 30 August 2024. Following its successful first series and participation in the recent ITB Shanghai, this mission aims to foster closer tourism ties and further explore potential leads from Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan and Nanjing.

Leading the delegation is Mr Lee Tai Hung, Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General (Promotion II), joined by YB Dato’ Ng Suee Lim, Member of Selangor State Executive Council (Local Government and Tourism); YB Nicole Tan Lee Koon, Member of Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council (Tourism, Arts and Culture); Ms Nurmalis Musa, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Perak; Dato’ Dr. Angie Ng Wai Sam, President of Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association (MICA) as well as 78 organisations representing airlines, hotels, resorts, travel agents, and tourism product owners.

“Building on the momentum of the 30-day visa-free travel policy for Chinese citizens, which commenced on 1 December 2023, we aim to cultivate confidence and explore further collaborations to achieve pre-pandemic levels while showcasing the latest offerings to the Chinese market. Thus, this sales mission provides a platform for the industry community to gather, exchange ideas, and collaborate to bring more arrivals to Malaysia,” said Mr Lee Thai Hung.

In gearing up for the next Visit Malaysia 2016, the mission will leverage seminars and business & networking sessions to strengthen marketing efforts in China. A focus will be placed on promoting the leisure market and niche segments, especially the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.

As of June 2024, Malaysia has welcomed 1,449,711 arrivals from China, representing a significant 190.8% increase compared to the same period in 2023. With the goal of attracting 27.3 million international arrivals and generating RM102.7 billion in tourism receipts in 2024, Malaysia aims to attract 5 million tourists from China.

Tourism Malaysia Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou work closely with travel agents and airlines to intensify promotion. With the resumption and announcement of new international flights from Malaysia-based and China-based airlines, there are currently 438 weekly flights operating between China and Malaysia, including Shenzhen Airlines, China Eastern, Xiamen Air, Loong Air, Air China, and Spring Airlines.

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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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