Mata president Khalid Harun said the surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in China had increased the potential for new variants of the virus to emerge, causing concern to Malaysians, especially tourism industry players.

“We are aware that hospitals across China are facing an explosion in the number of Covid-19 cases following Beijing’s decision to withdraw their strict regulations,” he said in a statement yesterday.

Khalid said many travel agencies and hotels had been closed because of the virus, incurring billions of ringgit in losses, over the past two years.

He hoped the situation would not recur as the tourism industry was still recovering.

He said many countries had tightened requirements for the entry of travellers, including businessmen, from China.

He also said industry players should focus on tourists from the Middle East and Europe for now.

Yesterday, transport minister Loke Siew Fook said Malaysia would see a surge in flight demand following the reopening of China’s borders on Jan 8, three years after the Covid-19 pandemic.