Malaysia to put in year-long focus on targeting Chinese tourists

It comes no surprise Malaysia is targeting more and more Chinese tourists today. According to the latest report on Malay Mail Online, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Chinese tourists will be the main focus for the nation due to similar cultures and cuisines between both countries.Late last year, to make its facilities more attractive,  Malaysia Airports partnered with Alipay to create awareness, boost interest and strengthen its brand positioning among Chinese travellers. Meanwhile Genting too collaborated with CIMB Bank to launch cashless payment with the introduction of Alipay at Resorts World Genting, targeting primarily at Chinese visitors.In fact, the targetting of Chinese tourists even saw Malaysian low cost-carrier AirAsia partner with Everbright and Henan Government Working Group to establish a low-cost carrier (LCC) in China to stablish AirAsia (China).  AirAsia (China) will invest in aviation infrastructure, including a dedicated LCC terminal at Zhengzhou airport and an aviation academy to train pilots, crew and engineers, as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities to service aircraft.As such, the move comes unsurprising.  The minister added that given Malaysia has a range of attractions to lure the Chinese tourists, from beaches to mountains and good resorts, it stands out against competing neighboring nations who are also “tourism-oriented”.Right next door, Singapore has been taking an aim to lure in Chinese tourists from as early as 2015. The countries tourism board created a suite of digital and mobile services for the visitors to search for Singapore destination offerings, navigate Singapore and share their travel experience.STB has also entered into a Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) for the first time with online travel services Alitrip and Tuniu, and social review sites Dianping and Mafengwo, to curate and distribute “compelling content” on Singapore’s destination offerings, which was set to run up util this year.STB partnered with Alipay to enhance the overall experience of Chinese tourists’ in Singapore. Under the deal, both parties will share relevant and up-to-date content about Singapore on both Alipay’s platforms and STB’s Tourism Information and Services Hub.