Malaysia is keen to increase the number of flights from Kerala, foreseeing a rise in the number of tourists from the State, Datuk Seri Santhara, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, has said.
It is in line with efforts being made to catch up with the figure of five million tourists who visited Malaysia in 2019. Of them, 7.35 lakh were Indians, mostly from south Indian States, an improvement of 22% over 2018, he said. Mr. Santhara was addressing the media in Kochi on Monday as part of a road show organised by Tourism Malaysia.
Homestays in Kerala and villages in Malaysia had much in common, said Mr. Santhara, whose forefathers are from Andhra Pradesh and whose wife hails from Kerala. The resumption of scheduled international flights from India coincides with the reopening of Malaysia’s international borders. Fully vaccinated travellers could enjoy quarantine-free travel to Malaysia and they were no longer required to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests, he added.
