Malaysia: VoA for India
P. Manoharan, Director for India, Tourism Malaysia , says Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) could facilitate repeat travellers.
The
withdrawal of Malaysia’s long- haul budget carrier AirAsia X flights from Delhi and Mumbai could have had an adverse impact on tourism in Malaysia. Yet taking it in its stride is Tourism Malaysia. Beating the blues this summer, Tourism Malaysia is eyeing a 10- 15 per cent rise in the Indian tourist arrivals this summer. “We had earlier expected that the suspension of Air Asia flights from Delhi and Mumbai sectors would negatively impact tourist traffic to Malaysia. However, it has been offset to a large extent by Malaysian Airlines, which introduced four additional flights from Mumbai for the summer rush,” Manoharan says. To cater to the increase in demand during the ongoing Indian holiday season, Malaysia Airlines has hiked the frequency of its daily Mumbai- Kuala Lumpur service to 12 flights per week till the end of the month.
The director also feels the weakening of the rupee
Malaysia is also considering to reinstate the VoA facility for Indian nationals to keep up with the rising number of Indians to the country
might encourage outbound travel from India to shorthaul destinations such as Malaysia. “The sliding rupee will obviously impact long-haul travel. People who had planned to go to America or Europe this year could now choose destinations that are closer to India.” This summer, three- in- one MalaysiaSingapore- Thailand packages are selling like hot cakes, he adds.
Speaking on the possibility of starting VoA facility for Indians, Manoharan says, “Malaysia is also considering to reinstate the Visa-on-Arrival ( VoA) facility for Indian nationals.” The facility was withdrawn in May 2008 amid concerns over illegal immigration. This move will help in encouraging more repeat- and experiential outbound travellers from India. “There has been a steady increase of Indian arrivals in Sarawak. Their number went up to 17,000 last year, which is a sign that increasingly, Indian FITs are going off the beaten track. These are evolved travellers who are more experiential and participative.”