TEMPO.CO, Kuala Lumpur - Almost 30 percent of Chinese tourists have canceled their trips to Malaysia following the incident of Malaysia Airlines MH370 early March.
"Due to the promotion of Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014, many had initially made preparations to visit Malaysia in the second half of this year but we have received many cancellations since the MH370 incident," Tourism Malaysia chairman, Dr. Ng Yen Yen, told The Star today.
The large number of Chinese tourists, who canceled their trips to Malaysia, was known based on a data collected by the Malaysia Inbound Tourism Association. The institution manages Chinese tourists' arrivals through a network of 70 companies.
The cancellations would have significant impact on Malaysian tourism industry. A Chinese tourist usually spends averagely US$850. But cancelations by 10,000 tourists would cost the country US$8.5 million.
In addition to MH370 incident, the abduction of Chinese tourists and hotel staff at Semporna Resort in Sabah also contributed to a drop in tourists' arrivals from China.
ANINGTIAS JATMIKA | THE STAR
