TOURISM players are expecting tourism receipts to increase next year now that the world has opened its borders, Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) president Uzaidi Udanis said.

Despite a looming global economic recession and inflation, Uzaidi believes there would be a positive outcome for the industry and the country with an influx of tourists.

“Based on economic experts, next year is going to be a challenging year.

“But whenever there are challenges, there are also windows of opportunities,” Uzadi said.

Tourism is the third-largest contributor to Malaysia’s GDP, after the manufacturing and commodities sectors.

Malaysia’s tourism industry generated RM197.9 billion of gross value-added tourism industries, contributing 12.8% to the GDP in 2021 compared with 14.1% in 2020, according to the Statistics Department.

Uzaidi said tourism is an important sector that could aid the country’s economy.

“I’m really looking for more contributions from tourism this time around,” he said.

Uzaidi, who is also president of the Malaysia Tourism Council, believes China’s easing of restrictions could further boost Malaysia’s tourism industry and economy.

“We expect around 9.2 million tourist arrivals by the end of the year, and we are expecting slightly more next year,” Uzaidi said.

“What we are looking forward to is the China market. The China market has been giving good support to the Malaysian tourism industry.

“Hence with the China tourists coming in, it would be an added boost for our industry and our economy,” he added.

The lack of tourists from China have significantly impacted Malaysia’s tourism revenue, as China was the third-largest contributor to Malaysia’s tourism receipts.

Uzaidi said in 2019, Malaysia received a record of nearly 2.9 million tourists from China, but said local tourism players are expecting some one million over the next year, which is a more comfortable figure.

Mainland China closed its borders in February 2020 and had maintained a strict zero-Covid policy.

After nearly three years of self-isolation, China will reopen borders on January 8 and abandon quarantine requirements for travellers.

Malaysia’s Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, through Tourism Malaysia, is aiming to receive 15.6 million tourists and RM120.4 billion in tourism revenue next year. – December 30, 2022.