TOURISM MALAYSIA ORGANISES FIRST ROADSHOW  IN INDIA AFTER BORDER REOPENS

by Suman Gupta

MUMBAI, 22 April 2022 – Malaysia has finally lifted sanctions on its border on 1st April 2022, marking the end of travelling restrictions into the country. Leveraging this new development, Tourism Malaysia has decided to embark on its first roadshow to six major cities in India from 18th until 30th April 2022, after more than two years of hiatus.

The roadshow kicked off in the city of Delhi, followed by Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai. The mission is headed by Mr. Manoharan Periasamy, Senior Director of the International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa) together with Malaysia’s tourism fraternity which consists of three (3) Malaysia-based airlines, 22 travel agents, four (4) hoteliers, and four (4) product owners.

India remains and has been one of the top market sources for Malaysia and has contributed 735,309 arrivals (+22%) in 2019. Apart from its objective to instill confidence among Indians to feel safe to visit Malaysia once again, the roadshow aims to provide a platform for the industry community to bounce back and steer the tourism sector back to its former glory, if not better. “This is the right time to be back in India, and planning for this roadshow is very opportune. The resumption of scheduled international flights from India coincides with the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders,” said Mr. Manoharan.

“We are thrilled and enthusiastic to welcome Indian travellers back on exciting, new value-driven and action-packed itineraries to witness the best and latest of what Malaysia has to offer. There is so much to explore after two years, especially with the newly opened outdoor theme park, Genting SkyWorld, the refurbished Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur, and a magnificent new attraction, the Merdeka 118, the world’s second tallest building. I am sure these new attractions along with our beautiful beaches, exhilarating mountains and jungles with a plethora of activities will make your trip a memorable one,” he added.

Since the reopening of its borders, India is on the top four arrivals to Malaysia. Malaysia has opened its shores for quarantine-free travel on 1st April 2022 to welcome fully-vaccinated international travellers. The entry procedure requires an RT-PCR test two days before departure and travellers must undergo professionally administered RTK-Ag within 24 hours upon arrival in Malaysia. Currently, Malaysia eVISA can be applied online and more than 14,000 seats are offered weekly between India and Malaysia through Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, AirAsia, IndiGo, and Air India Express.