PUTRAJAYA, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- The Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, stands witness today to the signing ceremony between Jiangsu TopView Cultural Tourism Industry Development Co. Ltd. and Batik Air, marking a significant step towards expanding charter flights on China routes. The agreement includes four routes: Nanning to Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai to Tawau, Chengdu to Tawau, and Shenzhen to Tawau.

This expansion builds upon the existing charters initiated by Jiangsu Topview, which commenced on 23 January 2024 and will continue until the end of March 2024 to accommodate the Chinese New Year and spring festival holiday season. Due to the encouraging response to the charter, Jiangsu Topview decided to venture into the expansion of the additional routes with Batik Air.

Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said: "The strategic collaboration between Jiangsu Topview and Batik Air signifies a strengthening bond between our two nations, paving the way for an influx of Chinese tourists to Malaysia. This partnership also aligns with our efforts to bolster tourism ties and promote Malaysia as a premier destination for Chinese travellers.”

The surge in flights from China to Malaysia is attributed to the proactive efforts of the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, who personally led a sales mission to China, engaging with industry players including airlines and travel agents. Additionally, the announcement of visa-free for Chinese travellers effective 1 December 2023 has further fueled interest in travel from China, underscoring Malaysia's allure as a preferred tourist destination in the region. 

In 2023, Malaysia welcomed 1.47 million arrivals from China, an exponential growth of  593.4% in comparison to the same period in 2022 with 212,603 arrivals.

About Tourism Malaysia
Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene.  

The next Visit Malaysia Year, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG). 

Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok. 

About Jiangsu TopView Cultural Tourism Industry Development Co., Ltd.
TopView is composed of a seasoned team from the industry and authoritative experts, dedicated to investment planning and operational management across the cultural tourism industry chain. It's a large scale service provider and professional travel agency led by creative planning and grounded in travel services, aiming to offer users comprehensive professional services throughout the industry operations, marketing, talent development, parent-child education, educational expansion, trade services, performing arts, digital technology applications, and more 

SOURCE: Tourism Malaysia

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Nuwal Fadhilah Ku Azmi
Deputy Director
International Promotion Division Asia Africa
Tel: +603 8891 8363
Email: nuwal@tourism.gov.my 

Name: Muadz Samat
Assistant Director
Corporate Communications Division
Tel: +603 8891 8755
Email: muadz@tourism.gov.my  

--BERNAMA