M’sia Ranks 3rd Among ASEAN Destinations for Chinese Tourists, to Aim for 6 Million China Visitors by 2025

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) aims to attract 6 million Chinese tourists to Malaysia this year following the increased flight frequency between the two countries.

These include new direct routes to major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Changsha, Xiamen, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Haikou, Kunming, Zhangjiajie, and Zhengzhou. There are 502 flights between Malaysia and China per week, offering 102,343 seats.

Malaysia is targeting 6 million tourist arrivals from China this year

Source: Dato' Seri Tiong King Sing | Facebook

According to MOTAC Minister Dato’ Seri Tiong King Sing, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s policy of giving Chinese tourists 30-day visa-free travel since December 2023 has significantly increased visitors.

He added that the policy significantly strengthened the ties between the two nations, yielding mutual benefits.

Hence, Tiong said that MOTAC is working to welcome 6 million Chinese tourists and further strengthen Malaysia’s tourism infrastructure.

Source: Kumuta Ratnam l Pexels

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Malaysia welcomed 3.28 million tourists from China in 2024

According to data from Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia welcomed 3,725,894 visitors from China in 2024, a 130.9% increase from the year prior.

Only visitor arrivals from Singapore (18.85 million) and Indonesia (4.14 million) surpassed visitor arrivals from China in Malaysia. Do note that these statistics include excursionists or same-day visitors who didn’t stay overnight in Malaysia.

Source: 123RF

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As for tourist arrivals, Malaysia welcomed 3,287,362 tourists from China last year, a 123% increase from 2023. Again, there were only more tourists from Singapore (9.09 million) and Indonesia (3.65 million) than Chinese tourists in Malaysia last year.

Only Thailand and Vietnam welcomed more Chinese tourists last year

Regionally, the 3.28 million figure makes Malaysia the 3rd most visited country in Southeast Asia by Chinese tourists in 2024.

As reported by VNExpress, Thailand recorded the highest number of Chinese tourists last year, with a whopping 6.7 million arrivals, followed by Vietnam, with 3.73 million arrivals.

Source: Tourist Secrets

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So, what do you guys think of these tourism statistics? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. 

Also read: Thai Cops Advise Malaysian Tourists to Stay Away from Fishing Villages in Southern Thailand