KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — More than 1,000 international tourists are expected to arrive in Malaysia on the first day of the country’s transition to the endemic phase tomorrow.

Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the arrivals will mostly be from Singapore via various international air and land entry points, with several preparations in place to welcome them.

"We are very excited for tomorrow… we are also preparing ourselves for any kind of challenges. I am glad and happy to hear that this morning we had our agencies (such as) Tourism Malaysia and also other ministries having their meetings to prepare.

"So, it is not just Motac... other ministries are also preparing themselves to welcome the tourists to make sure that we are doing okay with the standard operating procedure (SOP) and also if there is anything that needs to be solved at the airports... all of them are ready,” she said.

She said this at a press conference after witnessing the signing of the Memorandum of Collaboration (MoC) between Tourism Malaysia and Visa Malaysia (Visa) for the "Home Away from Home” campaign today.

Also present were Visa Malaysia country manager Ng Kong Boon and Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Zainuddin Abdul Wahab.

Earlier during her speech on the MoC, Nancy said she was hopeful that the strategic partnership would echo the National Tourism Policy, especially in placing Malaysia as a top 10 global tourism destination in terms of both arrivals and receipts.

She added that through the partnership, Tourism Malaysia would be able to leverage Visa’s analytics capabilities, which can be beneficial for improving tourists’ experiences in Malaysia.

Through the MoC, Visa will offer Tourism Malaysia access to its data analytics and insights to better understand travellers’ preferences when they enter Malaysia.

Visa will also introduce the Visa Preferred Merchant Programme (VPM), which enables Visa cardholders access to exclusive offers for accommodation, air tickets, dining, shopping and medical wellness.

The VPM programme will be available for both domestic and international travellers during identified tourist travel seasons through malaysia.travel and visa.com.my websites. — Bernama