22 January 2015
According to Matta visa-fee free (VFF) could be perceived as a half-hearted gesture as no visa waiver for Chinese.
MALAYSIA could potentially lose 540,000 Chinese tourists for not granting visa exemption, according to the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta).
Its president Hamzah Rahmat said that it’s unfortunate that free visas instead of visa-free entry is offered to tourists from China.
“It is regrettable that we are only trying to play catch-up with Asean countries that had earlier waived visa fees when we should seize the opportunity now to overtake them by granting visa exemption,” he said in a statement.
“Paying for a visa is not the main issue as the amount is peanuts to most Chinese tourists who are the world’s biggest spenders globally. What has deterred many to visit Malaysia was the hassle of having to apply and wait for a visa,” he added.
According to Hamzah, visa-fee free (VFF) would be perceived as only a “half-hearted gesture” and that Chinese tourist arrivals could decline to 1.76 million instead of the expected 2.3 million.
“The Home Ministry may have cited security as the reason for not granting visa exemptions but the existing policy had not prevented over three million undocumented migrant workers in the country,” he stressed.
![Chinese tourists posing for a photo in front of Merdeka square in Kuala Lumpur. According to Matta, not granting visa-free entry could deter tourists from China to visit the country. - Filepic](/images/news/chinese-tourists-at-dataran-merdeka.jpg)
“Matta had repeatedly pointed out the need for visa-free entry to attract more tourists but sticking to our guns will only result in a loss of several billion ringgit which is sorely needed to pump up our economy.”
- Batik Air collaborates with umrah tour operators from Malaysia, Indonesia
- MOTAC set to launch Ramadan Package for international tourists
- Malaysia rolls out the red carpet for 35 Chinese imams on Imam Familiarisation Trip
- Are there more skyscrapers in KL than the whole continent of Europe?
- The world’s busiest flight routes and airports in 2023
- A new terminal at the KKIA is just a short-term solution
- Sabah needs new airport, KKIA has no room, says consultant
- Malaysian aviation sector to see 4% growth in 2024, boosted by fleet expansion and resurgence of tourism, says MIDF
- KLIA gets Level 2 accreditation from ACI for exceptional customer experience
- Domestic airport tariffs likely unchanged, but international PSC to rise
Original Source: thestar.com.my
Site Search
Did you find what you are looking for? Try out the enhanced Google Search: