SINGAPOREANS topped the list of 26 million tourist arrivals to the country from January 1 to November 15, the Immigration Department’s latest statistics showed.

“We hope we can increase the number of tourists, especially after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced visa exemptions for China and India for 30 days beginning December 1,” Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing said after the Malaysia Batik Day Celebration walkabout at the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex today.

Statistics showed the highest number of tourists were from Singapore at 12,645,364, followed by Indonesia (3,166,295), Thailand (2,073,162), China (1,407,471), Brunei (904,841), and India (780,532), with the rest from other countries.

In efforts to strengthen ties between Malaysia and China in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, a series of special batik collections will be introduced by the ministry and Kraftangan Malaysia.

“We will have a series of special design collections for both countries and also see how we can run a one-year promotion in China, as well as study if (China) can promote their clothes such as cheongsam and others to us,” he said.

Kraftangan Malaysia director-general Ainu Sham Ramli hopes the Rahmah Batik Sales, launched in conjunction with Malaysian Batik Day Celebration today, could make batik available to the public at prices lower than RM100.

“We will hold special offers in collaboration with batik entrepreneurs so customers can buy more affordable batik items,” she said.

She said this year’s celebration is being held until tomorrow, with targeted sales of RM1 million.

The third Malaysian Batik Day Celebration saw 820 entrepreneurs this year compared with 797 last year. – Bernama, December 3, 2023.