Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Wang Jingjing) news: On November 4, 2024, it was learned from the Department of Culture and Tourism of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that from January to October this year, Xinjiang welcomed 4.196 million inbound tourists. Among them, 1.11 million were from Malaysia, marking an impressive increase of 192.86 percent compared to the same period last year. This surge can be attributed to the appeal of the visa-free policy and the unique differences in tourism resources between the two regions, making Malaysia a significant source of inbound tourists for Xinjiang.

The year 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China. At the end of 2023, the two countries announced a mutual visa-free policy. Favorable policies are an important reason for Malaysian tourists to come to China. "In addition to the visa-free policy, because of the convenience of language, many travel agencies in Xinjiang have focused on Malaysia when carrying out cross-border tourism business. As a result, the number of Malaysian tourists visiting China's Xinjiang has surged this year." Zhang Ruihua, director of Tourism Promotion and Foreign Exchange Division of the Cultural and Tourism Department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said that Xinjiang hopes to take Malaysia as a breakthrough to open an important channel for attracting tourists from ASEAN countries.

 "Since May this year, we have received 1700 Malaysian tourists through the influencing of Malaysian Chinese internet celebrity Ye Shuxin. “ The general manager of Xinjiang China International Travel Service Co., Ltd., Zhou Di, said that on November 4, he traveled to Malaysia with the Cultural and Tourism Department of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region to promote Xinjiang's autumn and winter tourism. As soon as he arrived in Kuala Lumpur, he immediately finalized the upcoming autumn and winter tourism route and product plans with Ye Shuxin. The first batch of 50 Malaysian tourists has already been confirmed to come to Xinjiang for skiing at the end of November.

Photo taken on November 5, 2024 shows Ye Shusen, a Malaysian Chinese internet celebrity. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily/ Wang Jingjing)

Nijat Yusup, deputy general manager of CYTS Xinjiang International Travel Service Co., Ltd., is also a familiar face at local travel agencies in Kuala Lumpur. On September 7, the three-day MATTA FAIR International Tourism Exhibition opened at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Center. Nijat represented Xinjiang in the exhibition, bringing abundant tourism products of Xinjiang to Kuala Lumpur. "This exhibition has shown me the strong desire of Malaysian tourists to travel to Xinjiang. Every day, people gather around our booth to inquire about routes and products, and many of them finalize their itineraries and pay deposits on the spot," he said. The desert, Gobi, high mountains, canyons, and cultural customs of Xinjiang are extremely attractive to Malaysians, who are located in the tropics. After the visa-free policy was implemented, a large number of Malaysian Chinese are willing to travel to China. After visiting places like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, Xinjiang became their most anticipated travel place.

The opening of new flight route has also made it more convenient and faster for Malaysians to reach Xinjiang, China. On September 20, the landing of the charter flight from Kuala Lumpur to Urumqi marked the beginning of a 10-day trip in Xinjiang for over 270 Malaysian tourists. The direct charter flight from Kuala Lumpur to Urumqi takes seven hours, significantly reducing the transfer time. "We leveraged various promotional events organized by the regional department of culture and tourism to market and promote in Malaysia, showcasing Xinjiang's unique natural resources to the Malaysian public, especially the increasingly improved hardware and software facilities and boutique travel routes, which dispelled their concerns and convinced them to visit Xinjiang," said Wang Qi, general manager of Xinjiang Daxibu International Travel Agency Co., Ltd. In 2024, the travel agency operated four direct charter flights from Malaysia, with nearly a thousand passengers in total.

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