Time to expand the welcome mat

Bitten by the travel bug: Before the pandemic, China was the biggest source of international tourists. ­— The Star

BEFORE Covid-19, Malaysia’s luxury mall beneath Kuala Lumpur’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers echoed with the sound of Chinese tourists and their dialects. But recently, during a busy dinner hour, they were missing.

Din, the mall’s outlet of famous Taiwanese chain Din Tai Fung, a favourite of Chinese tourists, was half-full with local Malaysians and Middle Eastern customers. When I asked a cashier whether they had served many Chinese lately, she shook her head with a tight smile.