LAUNCHING OF CHINESE TRAVELERS AFFAIRS HELPDESK AT KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KLIA)

The CHINESE TRAVELERS AFFAIRS HELPDESK was launch today at the KUALA LUMPUR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KLIA) by Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, YBhg. Dato' Dr. Siew Ka Wei.

Located near the immigration counters at the arrival halls of KLIA and KLIA2, the HELPDESK is meant to assist the entry of Chinese tourist by providing Mandarin language support at two of the busiest airports in Malaysia.

The first phase, the helpdesk will operate daily beginning 1 September 2017 from 7pm to midnight, when most flights from China arrives. In October, the operations will be extended from 5pm to 1am to accommodate higher tourist traffic.

Four Mandarin-speaking volunteers will be on duty every day, i.e two at KLIA and two at KLIA2, to assist with any communication issues between Chinese Tourists and Immigration Officials. The volunteers will also be providing additional on-arrival information to Chinese Tourist unfamiliar with the airports. 

Dato' Dr Siew quoted that China being the biggest tourist-generating markets, forecasting that the world will be seeing 20 million tourist from China making outbound trips by the year 2020. Anticipating higher tourist traffic from China, Tourism Malaysia decided to launch the Chinese Travelers Affairs Helpdesk today, as part of their efforts to enrich the Chinese tourist experience in Malaysia and provide a smoother travel experience for them. Dato' Dr Siew also thank all parties that was involved for working together to assuring that the Chinese tourist arriving into Malaysia will have a positive experience and a good first impression of Malaysia. 

TOURISM MALAYSIA, IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT OF MALAYSIA, MCWAS,
DATO DR SIEW KA WEI, MALAYSIA AIRPORT HOLDINGS BERHAD,
THE EMBASSY OF CHINA KUALA LUMPUR

The initiative will not be possible without the coorperative efforts of Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad, Immigration Department of Malaysia, The Embassy of China in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysia China Welfare Advisory Society (MCWAS). 

A review of Malaysia's tourism performance in 2016 and the first quarter of 2017 indicate that tourist arrivals from the China market is on the rise again after the slowdown in 2014. A total of 2.1 million tourists from China to Malaysia was recorded in 2016 while the first quarter of 2017 saw 551,378 Chinese Tourist arriving in Malaysia. 

Tourist arrivals from China to Malaysia has grown by 4% and 26.7% in 2015 and 2016 respectively, attributed to the easing of

travel formalities for Chinese tourist as well as improved connectivity. There are currently 470 flights per week connecting China and Malaysia. 

Dato' Dr. Siew also quoted that  the recent efforts to improve visa services and now the setting up of the Chinese Travelers Affairs Helpdesk to improve the airport experience have made it easier for tourist from China to travel to Malaysia. We believe that these initiatives will boost the confidence of more Chinese to choose Malaysia as their holiday destination.

ABOUT TOURISM MALAYSIA
MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & 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. In 2016, Malaysia registered 26.8 million tourist arrivals and RM 82.1 billion in receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.