In order to promote tourism, which is one of the mainstays of its economy, Malaysia now allows tourists from China and India to visit without a visa. Indian tourists can stay in Malaysia for 30 days without a visa.
Some days ago, Thailand also waived off (removed) visa requirements for tourists from India and Taiwan. Tourists can enter Thailand without a visa up to March 31, 2024. They can stay for up to 30 days.
Sri Lanka has waived off (removed) visa requirements for tourists from India, China, Russia, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia, and Thailand. Tourists can enter without a visa up to March 31, 2024.
All these countries depend heavily on tourism for their revenue.
Up to 2019, tourism directly contributed about 6.9% to the Malaysian economy.
In Thailand, pre-covid years (2019), tourism contributed as much as 11% to the GDP.
Sri Lanka, which faced an economic and political emergency in July 2022, has, since then, demonstrated recovery. Tourism revenue has helped this recovery.