Malaysia’s visa-free policy spurs surge in Chinese tourism

Malaysia's move to extend a 30-day visa-free entry for Chinese citizens until the end of the year 2026 has already led to a sharp rise in tourist arrivals and reinforced economic and diplomatic ties with China.

Tourist arrivals from China to Malaysia rose to 3,725,894 in 2024, with an impressive increase of 130.9 percent year-on-year, according to Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture.

Last week, Malaysia has announced to extend its visa-exemption policy for Chinese citizens for another five years.

Popular destinations like the Batu Caves near Kuala Lumpur are now filled with Chinese tourists.

"The whole process is very simple. After arriving in Kuala Lumpur, we could use the self-service channel to tour Malaysia," said Nancy Niu, a Chinese tourist from Shandong.

"We'd originally planned to travel within China. But when we heard about the visa exemption, we decided to go to Malaysia. That made it very convenient. If you want to come during the May Day holiday, or National Day holiday, just for a few days, there's no need to apply for a visa, you can just come," said Louie Zhang, a Chinese visitor from Shenzhen.

"When I came to Malaysia before, there were too many steps. We had to queue in very long lines. Now, there's basically no queuing. It's very quick to clear immigration," said Wang Xiaofeng, a Chinese visitor from Sichuan.

Tourism operators are welcoming the policy extension as a long-term boost to the industry.

"This extension is very much welcome news because it has always been very good for the industry, looking towards China as one of its main source markets. This is going to mean that we're going to have a lot more time to plan, to really understand the Chinese market and to perhaps even cater to the new, upcoming trends that the Chinese tourists are looking for," said Nigel Wong, president of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents.

So far in 2025, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Malaysia has risen by around 30 percent compared to the same period last year, according to Wang.

Malaysia’s visa-free policy spurs surge in Chinese tourism

Chinese tourist arrivals soar as Malaysia extends visa waiver

The Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul has assisted a group of tourists from the Taiwan region to return home, after they were stranded in Türkiye due to the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

After being stranded for about five days, the 93 Taiwan compatriots started to board China Eastern Airlines’ flights to Shanghai in batches.

This group of Taiwan compatriots were from three Middle Eastern tour groups arranged by the same travel agency in Taiwan.

They had originally planned to return to Taipei via Abu Dhabi, UAE, after their Istanbul trip. However, following the US-Israel military strikes against Iran on Feb 28, many Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace, leading to the cancellation of numerous flights.

"To be honest, I've never encountered this situation in my entire life," said one of the Taiwan compatriots.

"My teacher kept calling to ask when I'd be back because I was constantly revising my leave application, they thought I was missing," said another.

During their stay, the group members changed their tickets at least four times, but the flight schedules all showed indefinite delays, causing them great anxiety.

"In the past few days, we've seen news from the mainland saying they can help us by sending planes to expedite our return," said another tourist from Taiwan.

"These Taiwan compatriots contacted our Consulate General in Istanbul through the consular protection hotline. Our consulate leadership attached great importance to this situation and immediately coordinated with relevant domestic departments, including immigration and border control, as well as airlines, to coordinate getting them on board," said Sui Kaige, director of Consular Affairs Section at the Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul.

"We also provide Taiwan compatriots with assurances on flight seats to meet their needs," said Li Ge, general manager of China Eastern Airlines' Istanbul office.

Chinese Consulate General in Istanbul assists stranded Taiwan compatriots to return home