KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 19 — The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) today backed the Government’s stance against foreigners abusing tourist visas to work illegally, stressing that the issue spans several nationalities and requires stronger penalties.
Mita president Mint Leong welcomed the Government’s directive for enforcement agencies to act firmly against offenders.
“Foreign nationals found to be illegally working across key sectors through the misuse of tourist visas should be subject to more stringent penalties,” she said.
Leong rejected claims by some SMEs that visa-free policies allow foreigners to “enter the market aggressively” and compete unfairly, stressing that isolated abuses should not undermine policies secured over decades.
She noted visa-free arrangements with China and India have boosted arrivals, spending and jobs, citing Home Ministry data showing that out of 3.45 million Chinese visitors in 2025, only 418 were arrested for abusing social visit passes — about 0.013 per cent of arrivals.
Leong said inbound tourism supports over two million jobs and urged stakeholders not to magnify isolated incidents.
With Visit Malaysia 2026 underway, Mita called for continued cooperation between government and industry, and urged the extension of multi-country visa-free policies due to expire at year-end.
