Matta president Tan Kok Liang said the recent month-long disruption to the electronic visa portal, which he claimed resulted in losses of up to RM30 million, underlined the need for a direct visa system.

“India is now the top contributor to foreign arrivals in Malaysia with 71,481 visitors between January and June 2022 alone.

“In September, about 23,000 Indian tourists opted to travel to Bali instead of Malaysia due to difficulties in securing visas to Malaysia,” he said in a statement.

Tan said if Malaysia’s tourism sector wished to remain competitive and attractive, it must look at more practical long-term measures for the visa process.

“The government must consider the immediate benefits of implementing a direct visa-on-arrival facility for Indian tourists,” he said, adding that Thailand and Indonesia already have such systems in place.

Last week, the Malaysian high commission in New Delhi announced that a single-entry visa system into Malaysia will be temporarily in place because of the service disruption to the electronic visa portal.

The single-entry visa may be processed at the Malaysian high commission in New Delhi or at the consulates in Mumbai or Chennai within six days.