Malaysia has received more than 1 million tourists since its border reopening on Apr 1, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri on Saturday (Jun 4). That’s more than half of the government’s target of having 2 million international tourists this year.

A large proportion of the tourists was from Singapore, said Mdm Nancy, adding that Malaysia is also expecting many visitors from Japan, South Korea and Iran.

“In the past two months, we have received around 600,000 tourists from Singapore,” the minister said after an event by Firefly Airlines. 

“There are tourists for other countries as well but we are unable to provide accurate numbers as we are still waiting for feedback from the respective parties but suffice to say, we have achieved more than half of what we've targeted.”

Mdm Nancy said travellers are keen to visit Malaysia due to the eased COVID-19 rules. 

“People like our SOP because there's no mandatory quarantines, COVID-19 screening tests and insurance, and it's up to tourists to do so,” she added. 

Mdm Nancy noted, however, that Malaysia’s tourism industry is facing a shortage of workers amid the recovery.

Malaysia transitioned to the endemic phase of living with COVID-19 on Apr 1, lifting several restrictions and reopening borders. 

The tourism minister previously said that to achieve the country’s target of 2 million tourists, there are various strategies such as focusing on meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE).