Tourism, Arts & Culture Minister Condemned For Handing Out CNY Goody Bags To Chinese Tourists

Many countries, including Malaysia, have been gearing up for the return of tourists from China as their President Xi Jinping has scrapped their 3-year long Covid-19 restrictions despite the increasing number of cases there.

Some countries from Britain and the United States to Japan and Italy have since introduced compulsory pre-flight Covid-19 tests and testing upon arrival for tourists coming in from China, Morocco has banned their entry as a protection measure.

Considering this, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Tiong King Sing, is being condemned for handing out goodie bags to Chinese tourists arriving in Malaysia, for Chinese New Year, as showcased in a video by BERNAMA TV.

They wrote, “Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Tiong King Sing presented souvenirs in conjunction with Chinese New Year to the passengers of the Xiamen Air flight from Fuzhou, China to KLIA.”

In the video, Datuk Tiong along with his team could be seen giving out goodie bags to the Chinese passengers at their arrival gate.

Malaysians took to BERNAMA TV’s Twitter thread to share their dissatisfaction and fear of having to endure more lockdowns should cases start increasing in Malaysia due to the Chinese tourists

“WOW and just WOW!! Greeted with high spirits. Then later on during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, they will start with their laws. Everything will be limited, can’t travel interstate because the CASES ARE INCREASING.”

“It is like it is easy for this Minister to provoke the people. We barely survived the lockdowns and now we don’t want Chinese tourists to come in. And yet he can treat them like royalty.”

“They told us to do all kinds of things, make all kinds of sacrifices. The people have to starve themselves while the Ministers’ stomachs were full. Tourists get gifts while the people have to bear the Ministers’ disasters.”

You can check out the video here: 

Menteri Pelancongan, Seni dan Budaya Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing menyampaikan cenderamata sempena Tahun Baharu Cina kepada penumpang penerbangan Xiamen Air dari Fuzhou, China di KLIA. pic.twitter.com/0vIvy8WSoq

— BERNAMA TV ?? (@BernamaTV) January 22, 2023

What do you think about Datuk Tiong’s actions of handing out goodie bags to Chinese tourists? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.

Also read: DSAI’s CNY Greeting Video Is A Whole Production & Everyone Is Here For It!