KUALA LUMPUR: The country has surpassed the targeted two million international tourist arrivals since the April 1 reopening of borders, with RM8.6 billion in tourism receipts.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the positive development had led to a revised target of welcoming 4.5 million international tourist arrivals, with RM11.1 billion in tourism receipts this year.
"We have set this new target as we are optimistic about achieving a higher number of tourists.
"The past two years have been tremendously challenging for us, but ever since the reopening of our international borders last April, we have had encouraging tourist arrivals," she said after hosting the Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) members to a dinner.
The visitors, led by TTAA president Charoen Wangananont, are on a three-night familiarisation trip to Malaysia.
Nancy said she hoped the TTAA members could jointly reinvigorate the tourism industry together as both countries looked forward to a sustainable recovery, especially in the Asean region.
"The tourism industry contributes significantly to the economy in Malaysia. In 2019, tourism contributed 15.9 per cent to Malaysia's economy and supported 3.6 million jobs, which made up 23.6 per cent of the total workforce in the country," she said.
She added that Thailand was one of Malaysia's essential short-haul markets.
"In 2019, we welcomed 1,884,306 arrivals from Thailand, and almost 70 per cent of Thai tourists were repeat travellers.
"They came to Malaysia for holiday, shopping and to visit friends and relatives. Their top activities were sightseeing in the cities, shopping and visiting historical sites, including museums.
"The most visited states were the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang," she revealed.
Nancy added that both were not only close to each other as neighbouring countries, but Malaysia was also a value-for-money destination.
"I believe this trip will serve as a platform for all of you to create networks and mutual relations, especially with Tourism Malaysia, besides compiling knowledge based on tourism product updates in Malaysia for dissemination to your members and consumers.
"We also aim to raise awareness of our historical state of Melaka, which is one of the recognised Unesco World Heritage sites in Malaysia, and we hope this initiative will further boost even more Thai arrivals.
"Malaysia is one of the most hassle-free countries to visit in the post-Covid-19 pandemic times.
"Starting May 1, Malaysia has further eased the standard operating procedures as fully-vaccinated travellers are no longer required to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival Covid-19 tests, including children aged 17 and below.
"Travel insurance will also not be a prerequisite for foreigners entering the country," she said.
Among the places to be visited by TTAA members are Resorts World Genting and the newly-opened Genting SkyWorld, the Merdeka 118 Tower in Kuala Lumpur which is currently the world's second-tallest building, Sunway Resort and historical Melaka (Dutch Square, St. Paul's Church, Jonker Street, A' Famosa and Malaysia's oldest traditional Cheng Hoon Teng Temple).