CHINA TOPIX

11/22/2024 07:37:36 am

Make CT Your Homepage

Chinese Travelers Rethink Future Visits to Malaysia After MH370 Incident

MH370's tragic ending is casting gloom on tourism prospects between China and Malaysia.

An online poll launched by Sina showed a high number of Chinese travelers rethinking their future travel plans to Malaysia, after weeks of watching efforts to locate the missing plane, and seeing how Chinese relatives of the passengers agonized over the long wait.

Like Us on Facebook

Sina's online poll is an interactive infographic where people are asked if the MH370 incident had influenced their plans to visit Malaysia.

It gives a real-time tracking of how many people answered "Yes", "No", or "Not Sure".

As of 10:23 am on Tuesday, the poll had 38,400 respondents, 77 percent of whom said "Yes" the MH370 incident indeed influenced whether or not they will visit Malaysia in the future.

Another 19 percent said "No" it did not influence their interest in visiting Malaysia, and four percent were not sure.

Twelve percent of Malaysia's tourist arrivals are from China.  They contribute about six percent to Malaysia's annual tourism receipts.

The more than two-week search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, which was carrying 154 Chinese nationals among its 239 passengers, had stoked tensions between the two countries.

Relatives of the Chinese passengers had been vocal about their anger and dissatisfaction over Malaysia's handling of the incident, and the Chinese government had constantly rebuked Malaysia on the progress of investigation and the search for the missing plane.

Real Time Analytics