Malaysian govt waives off visa fees for Indian tourists

In 2015, Malaysia registered a total of 25.7 million tourist arrivals of whom 722,141 visitors were from India.

Looking to attract a million visitors from India this year, the government of Malaysia on Tuesday waived off its visa fees for Indians, except a processing fee of $20, for single entry visas valid for 15 days. “India is the sixth top tourist source market for Malaysia and last year, from January to October, it received a total of 540,530 Indian tourists,” Malaysia Tourism and Culture Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said at a press conference in New Delhi.

“The close cultural ties between the two countries and cultural affinity between our people can reach even greater heights through tourism,” Mohamed Nazri said, adding that this year’s focus is sustainable tourism in line with the vision of UNWTO that has designated 2017 as the ‘International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development’.

In 2015, Malaysia registered a total of 25.7 million tourist arrivals of whom 722,141 visitors were from India.

Tourism Malaysia is laying special emphasis on promoting four UNESCO Heritage sites, Kinabalu National Park in Sabah, Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Melaka and George Town cities and the archaeological heritage of the Lenggong Valley, Mohamed Nazri said.

In a collaborative effort between Malaysian government agencies, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the private sector, tourism targets under various themes have been set, including affordable luxury, nature adventure, family fun, spa and sports, among others.

Source: The Indian Express Online Media Pvt Ltd