29 Aug 2024 21:15

Malaysia expects one-third rise in Russian tourists by year-end

MOSCOW. Aug 29 (Interfax) - Malaysia was visited by more than 60,000 Russian tourists in the first half of 2024 and is expecting a 30% increase in the flow of tourists from Russia for the whole year, the Tourism Malaysia Moscow office said in a statement on Thursday.

"Russia is one of the strategically important tourist markets for Malaysia. Russian tourists are unlike others in terms of visit purpose, trip duration and tour requirements. Already, 60,072 tourists from Russia visited Malaysia in January-June 2024. That is an excellent indicator that we are on the right track," the office's director Zulkifli Mohamed was quoted in the statement as saying.

In June 2019, 4,415 Russian tourists visited Malaysia; 4,456 did in the same month of 2023. In 2024 the figure rose to 6,710, he said.

"Such a rise is due to Malaysia being an easily accessible all-year-round resort destination for Russians with no visa required for up to 30 days," Zulkifli said.

In 2024 Malaysia plans to attract 27.3 million foreign tourists, including 142,000 Russians. By 2026 the country expects the number of foreign visitors to increase to 35.6 million, the statement said.

Demand is expected to be higher for the winter than the summer season, it said.

Last year Malaysia broke a historical record in Russian tourist arrivals, at 110,000.

There are no direct flights between the two countries, flights with connections are operated by eleven airline companies: China Eastern Airlines (SPB: 670), China Southern Airlines (SPB: 1055), Air China, Air Arabia, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, Etihad Airways, Turkmenistan Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways.