By Shakir Hussain
NEW DELHI, May 19 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian travel sector companies are strongly engaged with India, a significant source of Malaysia’s foreign arrivals, as they expand their tourism recovery efforts.
Participating in a tourism fair in Greater Noida near New Delhi, Malaysian representatives held meetings with Indian tour operators to update them about the reopening of hotels and theme parks and resumption of flights.
Anil Jeet Singh Sandhu, deputy chairman of Tourism Malaysia, Malaysian High Commissioner to India Hidayat Abdul Hamid, and other officials briefed the media about Malaysia’s new rules for foreign tourists, emphasising that the most rigid pandemic-related restrictions have been lifted to facilitate travel throughout Malaysia.
“Malaysia is ready to receive international travellers. Starting May 1, fully-vaccinated travellers no longer have to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests, and there is no need for quarantine and COVID-19 insurance,” he said.
The Tourism Malaysia official sees pent-up demand for travel as pandemic restrictions are being relaxed in many countries.
“People have been sitting at home for too long. With new SOPs (standard operating procedures) in place, they are keen to travel again,” he said.
Malaysia’s tourism promotion campaign in India has received a boost following an increase in flights.
The number of weekly flights between India and Malaysia has risen to 104 from 76 one month ago and most key Indian cities are now connected with Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian exhibitors at the three-day South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE), which began on Wednesday, included Sunway Resort, Genting SkyWorld, Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Desaru Coast, Langkawi Development Authority, Air Asia and Batik Air.
Roslina Arbak, managing director and chief executive officer of Desaru Development Holdings One Sdn Bhd, said the coastal destination is offering incentives worth 12 million Indian rupees (about RM680,000) to entice independent travelers as well as those keen to use Desaru’s facilities for events and weddings.
Sulaiman Suip, director of Tourism Malaysia’s New Delhi office, said this year’s target is to attract 172,000 arrivals from India.
“This number is based on the arrival trends seen since the border reopening in April,” he said.
— NNN-BERNAMA