Malaysia tourism body kicks off China roadshow in Hangzhou

Tourism Malaysia — the tourism authority of the Southeast Asian country — kicked off the first stop of its China roadshow on Sept 1 in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province.

The event features a 59-member delegation, including 29 travel agencies, 18 hotels and representatives from the Malaysian States of Negeri Sembilan and Perak.

Eco-tourism, island vacations, cultural heritage, food experiences, agritourism and MICE — Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions travel — have become Malaysia's hallmark tourism products and are hot topics in the roadshow.

With 2026 marking the Visit Malaysia Year, the tourism board is aiming to promote Malaysia's quality tourism products and services to travelers from Zhejiang province and across China.

An official from Tourism Malaysia's Shanghai office noted that Zhejiang's culture and tourism industry enjoyed international fame, making it a very important source market and partner for Malaysia.

The opening event also emphasized the impact of the China-Malaysia mutual visa exemption policy — which took effect on July 17 — in boosting cross-border travel.

Statistics showed that in the first half of the year, Zhejiang's inbound foreign visitors hit 362,000, a whopping 27.4 percent year-on-year increase, with Malaysians among the top five nationalities. Meanwhile, in the six months Malaysia welcomed 2.57 million Chinese visitors, up nearly 36 percent year-on-year.

Following Hangzhou, the roadshow will move on to Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province and Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province.