KUCHING: Malaysia and China have agreed to strengthen tourism cooperation by promoting a safer, more standardised and competitive regional tourism ecosystem, following discussions between the two countries during the ASEAN-China Tourism Dialogue and Malaysia-China Tourism Dialogue in Langkawi.
Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the discussions focused on enhancing Malaysia-China tourism collaboration, ASEAN regional tourism development, tourism safety, and industry standards.
In a statement following his meeting with World Tourism Alliance (WTA) chairperson Zhang Xu, Tiong said both sides exchanged views on strengthening cooperation to promote the development of high-quality regional tourism.
He said tourism was not only a key industry driving economic growth, but also an important platform for fostering people-to-people exchanges and strengthening ties between nations.
“This conference, besides promoting the tourism market, can be further formalised as a platform to strengthen policy coordination, exchange experiences, and respond to international crises, market fluctuations and other challenges,” he said.
Tiong said such cooperation would help maintain stability in the regional tourism market while preventing unhealthy price competition that could affect tourism quality and tourists’ rights.
He also highlighted the importance of tourism safety, stressing that Malaysia’s recent efforts to strengthen enforcement within the tourism sector were not directed at any specific country or group of tourists.
“Instead, these measures are aimed at safeguarding the lives and travel experiences of all tourists,” he said.
Tiong said illegal tourism activities, including unapproved tour packages, illegal transportation services and unlicensed tourist facilities, could disrupt legitimate businesses and potentially compromise tourist safety.
He added that the government would continue to tighten enforcement to ensure all tourism activities complied with safety requirements and industry standards.
Meanwhile, Tiong welcomed Chinese investment in Malaysia’s tourism sector and encouraged more Chinese operators to participate in the country’s tourism development.
“However, we hope all investment and business activities will be carried out through legal and compliant channels. We also encourage Chinese operators to work with legitimate local partners to jointly build a healthier and more sustainable tourism ecosystem,” he said.
During the meeting, Zhang Xu praised Malaysia’s efforts in advancing ASEAN-China tourism cooperation, noting that the simultaneous organisation of the ASEAN-China Tourism Dialogue and Malaysia-China Tourism Dialogue represented a new model of collaboration between government and non-governmental platforms.
He said the WTA would study Malaysia’s proposals on establishing a long-term cooperation mechanism between both sides and convey the recommendations to relevant Chinese government agencies.
On tourism safety, Zhang Xu said the safety of Chinese citizens travelling overseas remained a priority, adding that the WTA would work to introduce Malaysia’s tourism laws, regulations and safety requirements to Chinese tourism operators through training, industry exchanges and promotional efforts.
Tiong said both parties agreed that tourism safety was a key foundation for sustainable tourism development and pledged to further deepen cooperation between Malaysia, China and ASEAN towards creating a safer, more regulated and competitive regional tourism environment.
