At 10L, visitor count to Malaysia crossed pre-Cov mark in ’24
Times of India | 18 January 2025
Kolkata: Buoyed by the Malaysia govt's decision to extend its official visa exception for Indian nationals till Dec 2026, tourism officials there said on Friday that more than 10 lakh tourists from India visited Malaysia in 2024, breaking even the pre-pandemic records. Officials, who are promoting Penang as a major tourist destination, hoped for more tourists this year.
"Last year, Malaysia welcomed 10,09,114 Indian visitors from Jan to Nov, breaking all records. The figure was a 71.7% increase from that in 2023 and also crossed the number of tourists we hosted in 2018 and 2019 by a large margin. A significant number were from Kolkata and eastern India," said Y B Wong Hon Wai, Penang state executive councillor for tourism and creative economy.
Officials said that apart from being a major leisure destination, Penang had also emerged as a major meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions tourism (MICE) destination. Last year, they held a convention for 20,000 people at a time, an official said.
"Penang hosted nearly 1,900 events in 2024, attracting 3 lakh-odd delegates and generating an economic impact of RM 1.27 billion. Of the 3 lakh people, around 30% were from India," said Ashwin Gunasekeran, CEO, Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau.
Though Kolkata has no direct connections with Penang, Air Asia and Malaysian Airlines offer multiple flights a week between Kolkata and Kuala Lumpur, with one-way tickets selling between Rs 7,000 and Rs 9,000. "Kuala Lumpur to Penang is a four-hour drive through hills, mountains and beaches. It's 45 minutes by flight, and multiple airlines, like Air Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo, Via Fly and Scoot, operate there," said an official at the eighth edition of the roadshow to India, this time in Kolkata.
The official added a highlight of the 2025 roadshow was the new direct flight between Penang and Chennai. "The new flight comes with a 30kg baggage allowance, making it an attractive option," an IndiGo official said.