SEPANG, The number of weekly flights from China to Kuala Lumpur, which currently stand at 438, is expected to rise this year, Tourism Malaysia director-general P Manoharan said. He pointed out that the current number of flights had exceeded the 370 weekly flights recorded during the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era. 'Before the pandemic, we did not have facilities such as visa exemption for China tourists, so this has turned into a major attraction for them to make Malaysia their tourist destination (of choice),' he told reporters after the welcoming reception of Qingdao Airlines' inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur at Terminal 2 of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here today. The five-hour direct Qingdao-Kuala Lumpur flight is scheduled for every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and is expected to bring in 30,000 passengers to Malaysia annually, he added. In the first four months of this year, Malaysia has welcomed 959,000 Chinese tourists, thanks to the efforts of various agencies promoting Malaysia as a des tination of choice, he shared. 'So, every time there is a long holiday period in China, they look at Malaysia as a tourist destination that is easy to visit with many weekly flights, not only from major cities but also other regions. 'The durian season acts an additional attraction to them as well,' Manoharan added. Malaysia had previously implemented a 30-day visa exemption for Chinese and Indian nationals from Dec 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2024. Source: BERNAMA News Agency