THE Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) expects five million tourist arrivals from China this year, compared to 3.1 million in 2019 given that no Chinese tourist were found with the deadly COVID-19 virus so far.
However, MOTAC Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the large number of Chinese tourist arrival will only be met after China resumes group tour services to 20 countries including Malaysia on Feb 6.
Tiong reiterated that every Chinese tourist would undergo a Covid-19 screening test in their country before coming to Malaysia.
“Even though COVID-19 is still there, we have to move forward, let’s all take care of our own health,” Bernama reported him as saying.
On Saturday (Jan 21) FocusM reported that no Chinese tourists who have entered the country since Jan 8 have tested positive for COVID-19.
The Health Ministry (MOH) had also said in a report that special lanes have been provided for Chinese travellers at international entry points, and visitors showing symptoms will be referred to health officials for further testing.
Several quarters were worried that the opening of Malaysia’s borders to Chinese tourists would lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Besides, MOH has stated that Malaysia’s daily COVID-19 cases have remained below 500 since China reopened its borders.
Furthermore, Tiong also assured that every Chinese tourist will undergo a COVID-19 screening test before coming to Malaysia and urged all Malaysians to continue to prioritise their health and maintain standard operating procedures to curb the spread of the disease. — Jan 23, 2023
Main photo credit: Bernama
