This South Asian country had more than 10 million foreign visitors in the first quarter of 2025, with a 22% increase compared to last year | Today news

Malaysia has seen a major increase in tourism. In the first quarter of this year, it welcomed 10.1 million foreign visitors, a 22% increase compared to last year. Malaysia beat Thailand to emerge as the most visited South Asian country. Thailand faces a tourism crisis after the safety issues have risen. In January, Chinese actor Xing Xing was abducted in Thailand. Recently, an Indian tourist in Thailand was attacked by a tiger while taking a selfie on a Thai wildlife. For Malaysia, most tourists come from Singapore (4.9 million), followed by China (1.12 million), Indonesia (1.08 million), Thailand and Brunei. For the first time, China passed Indonesia as the second largest visitor’s source, mainly due to easier visa rules, reports UN Express. According to Bernama, Malaysia, who recently elected the most beloved country by Insider Monkey by Insider Monkey, introduced a visa -free entry for Chinese and Indian citizens. It has now expanded this rule to 2026. The country has also announced that Chinese tourists will be able to enter visa -free for another five years, possibly until 2036. In 2024, Malaysia saw 3.29 million visitors from China, more than the previous year. The increase in tourism shows the growing popularity of Malaysia as a travel destination in Asia, aided by friendly policies and better international ties. Where does India stand? The Ministry of Tourism has not yet disclosed the full tourist arrival data for January to March 2025. However, a summary report from January 2025 reveals the numbers for the month. In January 2025, India received 9.57 Lakh foreign tourists, 13.9% lower than the number of arrivals in the same month of 2019. The United States was the top source of tourists, which accounted for 20.6% of the total arrivals. This was followed by the UK (11.8%), Canada (7.1%), Australia (6.4%) and Malaysia (4.7%). Nearly half of the visitors (45.4%) came for relaxation, while 31.5% were part of the Indian diaspora visited family and friends. About 9.7% showed up 3.4% for medical reasons and the rest for other purposes. Delhi welcomes the largest number of tourists (33.9%), followed by Mumbai (19.6%), Chennai (8.8%), Bangalore (7.8%) and Cochin (4.7%).