Image credit: Borneo Post Online
KUALA LUMPUR: Two million visitors are expected to arrive in the country when the borders reopen on April 1.
Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said this could contribute up to RM8.6 billion by year end to the country's economy.
She said the number of visitors could even surpass the two million mark.
"The industry players are breathing a sigh of relief. With the reopening, all they have to do is be prepared. We (the government) have provided several stimulus packages to help them.
"We target two million visitors and many could be from Singapore.
"With business events, where visitors come with their families, the income generated could even triple," she said at the launch of Tourism Malaysia's Strategic & Marketing Plan for 2022 to 2026 at Four Seasons Hotel Kuala Lumpur here today
The plan for the five years is based on six pillars, focusing on domestic tourism and promotions, international tourism recovery, digital adoption, innovation, health and safety.
In her speech, she said international tourist arrivals to Malaysia plunged to 83.4 per cent in 2020 with the arrival of only four million tourists.
This is a significant drop from the 26.1 million tourist arrivals in 2019, she said.
"With the widespread vaccination roll-out, lifting of travel restrictions, standard coordination, and clearer information on travel protocols, these will speed up the recovery of international tourism.
"The arrival of international tourists will gradually grow in 2022 from neighbouring countries namely Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei, followed by the regional Southeast Asian countries and other parts of Asia; mainly for medium and long-haul market," she added.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/03/784632/two-million-visitors-enter-malaysia-april-1