KUALA LUMPUR (Jul 31): Malaysia will now provide Visa on Arrival Entry (VoA) facility at the Miri International Airport and Sungei Tujuh entry points, particularly for China tourists and expatriates in Brunei coming into the country, with the aim to increase the number of tourists for Visit Malaysia Year 2020.

In a statement today, the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) said it has worked together with Tourism Productivity Nexus (TPN) to collaborate with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) in engaging various stakeholders to improve the departure and processing system at the Sarawak and Brunei border for tourists coming from Brunei.

Besides the VoA, several requirements have been relaxed with effect from July 15, including an increase in stay from seven to 15 days, proof of money from US$1,000 to US$500 in the form travellers cheques, credit card, debit card or eMoney as accepted by Bank Negara Malaysia, and a fees reduction to RM200 from RM330.

TPN chairman Uzaidi Udanis said the VoA facility will boost the arrival of tourists from Brunei as well as encourage impromptu visit by 40,000 Chinese expatriates currently based in Brunei.

"We are estimating that Miri could potentially be earning US$4 million annually from these expatriates, with the assumption [that] 10% of them visit Miri weekly and spend US$200 per visit," he said.

Furthermore, MPC said that the initiative is hoped to contribute to the Government’s Visit Malaysia Year 2020 target of achieving 30 million in tourist arrivals and RM30 billion in tourist receipts.