“Tourism arrivals in 2024 “should be higher” than the 26.1 million foreign visitors seen in 2019,” he said at a forum in Kuala Lumpur.

However, he did not reveal the exact projection.

Malaysia recently announced a 30-day visa-free entry for travelers from China and India starting Dec. 1, as it looks to boost tourism revenue.

The country has seen an upswing in visitors this year, prompting the government to revise its 2023 year-end tourism target to 19.1 million arrivals from 16.1 million.

Musa explained that Malaysia’s tourism targets does not take into account day-visitors who usually enter the country by land borders.

It was reported earlier that Malaysia had recorded 26 million visitors by November 15 this year.

Tourism industries contributed 14% to the country’s gross domestic product in 2022, according to Bank Negara Malaysia, making them one of the largest contributors to the economy.

Among the sub-sectors, health tourism is seeing a firm rebound to 2019 levels, said KPJ Healthcare Bhd CMO Sherene Azli.

Healthcare tourism revenue is expected to hit RM1.7 billion (US$364 million) next year, similar to that in 2019, said Sherene, who was a former CEO of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council.

Revenues are expected to grow double-digit every year to cap RM5 billion by 2030.