Mumbai : The New Year has arrived with some good news for the globe-trotting Indian. Beginning January 1, 2014, the Government of Malaysia has introduced visa on arrival (VOA) facility for visiting Indians. This announcement is in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY 2014) and the Year of Festivals 2015. The VOA facility is applicable for those travelling to Malaysia from a third country; namely Singapore and Thailand; holding valid visas for the respective countries and having confirmed return tickets to India.

 Speaking of this development, Mr Manoharan Periasamy, Director, Tourism Malaysia said, “Destinations with ease of visa issuance are popular, and the choice of a holiday destination is most often decided on the factor of ease of Visa approval. Malaysia has always been a popular destination among Indians and with the reintroduction of VOA, we hope to see more and more Indians considering Malaysia even as a short break destination for long weekends and last minute travel plans. In fact, this relaxation in visa restrictions is mainly for families and groups travelling to Malaysia on a vacation and for businessmen.”

 Visiting Indian tourists can avail of Visa on Arrival at all major airports of Malaysia namely Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Low cost Terminal LCCT (KLIA), Penang International Airport, Sultan Ismail International Airport, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Sabah and Kuching International Airport, Sarawak, at a fee of 100 USD or 330 MYR.

 Indian market is a significant contributor and has proven to be a strong and viable venture for inbound into Malaysia. With this new announcement of VOA, the Malaysian Government is expecting the number of tourist arrivals to increase significantly.

 For more details on the Visa on Arrival facility for Indians travelling to Malaysia, please visit the Malaysian High Commission Office or Consulate or the nearest immigration office or log on to www.imi.gov.my.

 Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, popularly known as Tourism Malaysia, was established to promote Malaysia as a top-of-mind tourist destination showcasing Malaysia’s unique wonders, attractions and cultures; develop domestic tourism and enhance Malaysia’s share of the market for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE). Tourism Malaysia’s objective is to promote Malaysia as an outstanding tourist destination and make the tourism industry a major contributor to the socio-economic development of the nation. In India, Tourism Malaysia offices are conveniently located in cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

 In 2014, Malaysia will celebrate its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”.  The VMY 2014 promotional campaign has started this year with a series of year – long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014.  It will contribute to the Government’s target to receive 36 million tourist arrivals and RM 168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) 2020.

Source : Sachin Murdeshwar