In February, tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing said Putrajaya should provide visa-on-arrival for travellers from all countries to remain competitive in the global tourism industry. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: The government has no plans yet to expand the visa-on-arrival for travellers from other countries, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Currently, visa-on-arrival is provided to travellers from China and India entering Malaysia from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand or Brunei.
However, Saifuddin said Putrajaya was studying improvements to the conditions and criteria for visa-on-arrival provided for travellers from China and India.
“This is to improve Malaysia’s ability to attract tourists, thus increasing the number of travellers entering the country,” he said in a written Dewan Rakyat reply.
Saifuddin said travellers from other countries could use the immigration department’s e-visa facility, which would inform applicants within two working days if their applications were successful.
Separately, Saifuddin said the government has no plans to give visa exemptions to tourists from India and China.
He said India and China also required Malaysians to obtain visas in order to enter their respective countries.
In February, tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing said Putrajaya should provide visa-on-arrival for travellers from all countries to remain competitive in the global tourism industry.
Tiong said Malaysian authorities were capable of coping with passenger surges and maintaining order at entry points across the country, adding that security should not be used as a pretext to hinder tourist arrivals.
This was backed by the Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association, which said providing visa-on-arrival would be key to drawing European tourists.