SHAH ALAM - The government needs to strengthen the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, especially with the exemption of visas for Chinese and Indian citizens visiting the country starting Dec 1.
Universiti Tun Abdul Razak economic expert Emeritus Professor Dr Barjoyai Bardai said MM2H could have a significant impact on the country's economic activities based on export value when tourists spend their money in Malaysia.
"Even though they spend money here, they use money brought in from outside the country.
"That is considered an export to Malaysia. Therefore, the government needs to solidify this programme and provide opportunities for foreign residents and retirees to contribute to the nation's welfare," he told Sinar.
Barjoyai also said the government should actively promote multiple entry visas and longer stays to encourage tourist arrivals.
"The need for a visa is considered outdated by some countries.
"Even if they're not bold enough to abolish visas, they should offer visa-on-arrival opportunities.
"Requiring a visa to enter Malaysia means we are obstructing people from entering and not encouraging tourism.
"Malaysia once reached 28 million tourists a year, but now it has only reached 18 million.
"The government needs to encourage tourist arrivals by imposing a stricter system at the entry points to ensure they don't stay beyond 30 days," he said.
He estimated that the country could reach up to 40 million tourists by 2025 if all visa exemption processes were implemented and made easily manageable.
"However, we need to ensure our tourism sector is welcoming to tourists as there's competition with Thailand and Indonesia.
"We need to highlight the uniqueness of our tourism products," he added.