Malaysia Aims to Increase Indian Tourist Arrivals to 1 Million Per Year by 2020

Malaysia wants to increase from India to at least one million visitors per year by 2020, Dr Siew Ka Wei, the chairman of Tourism Malaysia, said on Feb. 2 in New Delhi. Malaysia has increased its marketing efforts in major Indian cities, he said.

As many as 638,578 Indian arrivals were recorded in Malaysia in 2016, placing India among the top 10 sources of foreign tourists for the southeast Asian nation. From January to October 2017, the total number of tourists was 449,559. The total foreign tourist arrival from January to October 2017 saw a 2.5 per cent decline year-on-year.

“We hope tourist arrivals will pick up from India this year by 20 to 30 per cent. We are going to increase Malaysia’s exposure in this important market,” Siew said.

Slowdown in tourism from India

Recently, tourism from India has been affected due to closure of indoor and outdoor theme parks for renovation and redevelopment at Genting, which was a popular attraction for families visiting Kuala Lumpur.

According to industry experts, Malaysia is a family destination for India so tourism will pick up when the theme parks open.

Malaysian tourism has also increased cooperation with travel agents in India to attract tourists. Different campaigns are being launched in various states to attract Indian tourists.

“We are looking for tourists interested in history, heritage sites and the variety of Malaysian cuisine. Our target from India this year is 40,000,” Wan Mariati Wan Sohak from Tourism Melaka said.

India is currently connected with Malaysia with 230 weekly flights that can carry 41,000 passengers. Tourism Malaysia has offices in Mumbai and Chennai, and is in the works for opening an office in Kolkata as well.

By 2020, the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan seeks to welcome 36 million foreign tourists and RM168 billion in tourism revenue.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian High Commissioner to India, Hidayat Abdul Hamid, met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath this week to discuss bilateral ties for industrial, tourism and development projects.