JOHOR BARU: The resumption of flights from China into Senai International Airport here will help revive the local tourism industry post-pandemic, says the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA).
Its Johor chapter chairman Edwin Tay said the association is committed to working with Tourism Johor and Tourism Malaysia towards the industry's recovery in the state.
“The domestic and global travel and tour industry have started to regain momentum in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“We welcome visitors to Johor and look forward to more international flights into Senai," he said when contacted on Tuesday (March 28).
He added that all MCTA members and industry players should be prepared for more tourist arrivals via Senai.
“To facilitate the speedy and smooth recovery of our inbound visitor segment, we hope the authorities could improve Immigration and Customs clearance at checkpoints to reduce congestion, especially during weekends and holiday season,” he said.
Tay added that the public should also be wary of cheap tours and flight tickets offered by unknown individuals and unlicensed travel agencies.
“Please do not get cheated. Always buy from our members and other agencies licensed by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac),” he added.
On March 10, The Star reported that Tourism Johor plans to attract more tourists from China by having direct flights from five of the cities there to Senai International Airport.
Tourism Johor director Suhairi Hashim said a delegation led by Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing was expected to go to China in May to discuss this.
“We have requested direct flights from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tianjin, Jiangmen and Guangzhou to Senai. We will raise this suggestion during the trade mission.
“Tourism products that we plan to promote to people in China are island activities in Mersing, popular shopping spots and other family-friendly attractions,” said Suhairi.
“The first flight from Guangzhou is expected to arrive at Senai International Airport at 6.30am Wednesday (March 29),” he added.
