KUALA LUMPUR: At least 250,000 Chinese tourists are expected to visit Malaysia during the ongoing Chinese New Year holiday period.
The number is a significant increase from the 200,000 Chinese who travelled here during the same period last year.
Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) president Uzaidi Udanis said Malaysian embassies and consulates in China issued 327,000 visas for inbound trips from yesterday to the Chap Goh Meh celebration in early March.
"This is a very positive development, as only 193,000 visas were issued for the same period last year," he told reporters after a lion dance performance at Merdeka Square here today.
He said apart from the close ties between the Malaysian and Chinese governments, Malaysia has more than 4,000 Mandarin-speaking tour guides who have played an important role in attracting Chinese tourists to the country.
Uzaidi added that Mita is now working to increase the number of temporary licenses issued to tour guides who are fluent in Mandarin.
Mita also holds numerous promotional activities in China every year, he said. – BERNAMA