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Malaysia
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Malaysia foresees surge in Chinese tourist numbers as airlines launch new routes

  • Malaysian tourism authorities say they’re expecting over 5 million tourists from China to visit this year, more than tripling last year’s figure
  • It comes amid the launch of new routes connecting Shenzhen and Chengdu to Kuala Lumpur, with more than 247 weekly flights between the two nations

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Shoppers and tourists walk through Chinatown in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur earlier this year. Photo: Bloomberg
The Star
Tourism authorities in Malaysia say they are confident of achieving their target of attracting more than 5 million tourists from China this year, supported by the frequency of flights between the two countries.
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Tourism Malaysia Director General P. Manoharan said that last year Malaysia received a total of 1.47 million tourists from China.

“We are positive about reaching over 5 million tourists from China because the current flight frequency is more than 247 flights weekly, and in terms of seat capacity, there are almost 4.9 million seats available from China to Kuala Lumpur,” he told reporters after attending an event to celebrate new routes from Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines connecting to Kuala Lumpur.

A China Southern Airlines Airbus A380-800 seen during take off. The first China Southern Airlines flight from Shenzhen to Kuala Lumpur arrived on Monday morning. Photo: Reuters
A China Southern Airlines Airbus A380-800 seen during take off. The first China Southern Airlines flight from Shenzhen to Kuala Lumpur arrived on Monday morning. Photo: Reuters

“Flight frequencies will increase, and new routes as well, so we are positive about reaching this target.”

The first Sichuan Airlines flight from Chengdu landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 10pm on Sunday, Malaysian government news agency Bernama reported. The first China Southern Airlines flight from Shenzhen arrived at 12.30am on Monday morning, it added.

Manoharan said that airlines from China have also shown interest in establishing direct flights to other major Malaysian cities such as Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuching.

“Sichuan Airlines is planning to operate flights [from China] to Kuching,” he said. “We welcome airlines from China to operate direct flights to Kuala Lumpur, in addition to charter flights.”

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