KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will grant visa-free entry to citizens of China and India for stays of up to 30 days starting on Dec. 1, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar made the announcement late on Sunday during a speech at his People’s Justice Party congress and did not say for how long the visa exemption would be applicable.

China and India are Malaysia’s fourth and fifth-largest source markets respectively.

According to government data, Malaysia recorded 9.16 million tourist arrivals between January and June this year, with 498,540 from China and 283,885 from India.

That compared to 1.5 million arrivals from China and 354,486 from India in the same period of 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Sri Lanka approves free tourist visa for seven countries to boost tourism

The move follows similar measures implemented by neighbouring Thailand to boost its vital tourism sector and stimulate its sluggish economy, with Chinese and Indian nationals among those exempted this year.

Currently, Chinese and Indian nationals must apply for visas to enter Malaysia.