In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Malaysia-China diplomatic relations, both countries have introduced visa-free travel policies for their citizens.
Malaysians enjoy visa-free entry to China until the end of 2025, while Chinese travellers to Malaysia benefit similarly until the end of 2026.
Mutual visa-free travel policies between Malaysia and China have seen more Malaysian travellers visiting Guilin in China, pictured
These initiatives have sparked a significant surge in bilateral tourism.
Sandy Ren, senior sales manager at Guilin-headquartered Tang Dynasty Tours, highlighted the positive impact of these policies on her inbound business.
“With the continuation of the visa-free policies and direct air accessibility from Kuala Lumpur to Guilin, we see further opportunities to collaborate with Malaysian outbound agents to expand the incentive and leisure travel markets,” she said.
Ren also shared that direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Guilin have encouraged Malaysian incentive groups to spend five to six days in Guilin and to regard the Chinese city as a mono destination.
Additionally, Malaysian travellers have the option to transit through Guangzhou and experience the bullet train to Guilin – a popular choice among families and incentive groups looking to combine two destinations in one trip.
Adam Kamal, director of Suka Travel & Tours, reported that demand for Muslim tour packages from Malaysia to China has soared, surpassing sales for other popular options like Taiwan and South Korea. Demand comes from both FITs and groups.
Muslim customers are keen to venture beyond Tier 1 Chinese cities, drawn by the availability of Muslim-friendly restaurants and the convenience of carrying halal packed food from Malaysia.
“In the past, selling tours to China was challenging due to the complicated visa application process, which required securing an appointment with the Chinese Embassy, with no approval guaranteed,” explained Adam.
While visa is no longer an issue, Adam finds airline seats a challenge today. Due to seat shortages, he is limiting group sizes to between 20 and 25 pax.
Due to the lack of direct flights from Chinese cities to Langkawi, the Malaysian island has to rely on direct flights from Kuala Lumpur and Penang.
Mohammed Al Maidama, director of sales and marketing, Parkroyal Langkawi Resort, told TTG Asia: “On average, Chinese visitors to our resort stay for three or four nights. If we had direct flights, the average length of stay would be longer.”
