PUTRAJAYA, Jan 27 ― A total of 88,564 visitors have been served with Not-To-Land (NTL) notice last year for failing to meet the entry requirements to Malaysia, according to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said another factor for the NTL to be served was the dubious status of the visitors.

"The immigration records showed that some visitors have been travelling in and out of the country within a short period of time without applying for the appropriate passes, and this is known as u-turn visitors,” he told a press conference after delivering his new year’s address to ministry staff here today.

He said of the total, 35.08 per cent or 31,069 visitors were served with the NTL notice at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (klia2).

"It is important for the Immigration Department to ensure the authenticity of each visitor allowed to enter so that they will not overstay their welcome and misuse the passes given to them,” he said, adding that 87,698,460 tourist arrivals were recorded last year. ― Bernama