VISA-FREE TRAVEL OPENS ‘BIG DOOR’ TO REGION

Pacts with ASEAN countries to boost tourism industry, people exchanges

For millions of people across the Asia-Pacific region, traveling to and out of China is becoming easier than ever before.

University associate professor Sivakumar Kumaresan is hoping to return to Shangri-La in southwestern Yunnan province now that China has granted visa-free access to Malaysian travelers. The 50-something Malaysian visited the city in 2017 and describes it as “one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to”.

And now that he doesn’t have to go through the hassle of applying for a visa, Sivakumar is also keen to go to Beijing to visit his extended family.

Like many citizens of the multicultural Southeast Asian nation, Sivakumar is of mixed race, the son of an ethnic Chinese mother and an ethnic Indian father. “I do wish to visit Beijing (to know more about its) history, plus I’ve got family there,” said Sivakumar who teaches chemical engineering at Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Sivakumar is just one of the growing number of Malaysians who are planning to go to China after authorities announced in November that Malaysian tourists will be allowed to enter the country for up to 15 days without a visa. Uzaidi Udanis, chairman of the Malaysia Inbound Tourism Alliance, said travel agents have seen “a lot of movement from Malaysia to China” since December.

Uzaidi said that Malaysians are keen to not only explore China but also to see their relatives.

Since Dec 1, Malaysia has extended visa-free access to travelers from China with the policy to be in place until the end of 2024. Uzaidi expects it will lead to an influx of Chinese tourists, noting that a growing number of Chinese businesspeople are going to Malaysia on weekends just to play golf.