KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia recorded 4.5 million tourist arrivals in the first quarter of this year with most of them coming from ASEAN countries which indicates a positive development in the country’s tourism industry.
Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan said if the momentum continues, the ministry is confident of achieving the target of 16.1 million tourist arrivals this year which is expected to generate more than RM49 billion (US$10.54 billion) in tourism revenue.
“The success among others is contributed by the recovery of most countries from COVID-19 which saw the reopening of borders including the latest border opening by China,” he told Bernama.
Through close cooperation with Tourism Malaysia, Khairul Firdaus said, more programmes and initiatives are implemented to ensure that Malaysia continues to be the focus of tourists around the world.
According to him, besides ASEAN countries, the ministry and Tourism Malaysia also identified the market involving countries such as the Middle East, China, India and even Europe.
He said, the natural wealth and beauty of Sabah, Sarawak and other states are also currently attracting tourists from China, Taiwan and Korea.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Chinese tourists were the main international visitors to the state of Sabah with 598,566 people recorded in 2019.
— NNN-BERNAMA