Johor aims to be China visa base

KULAI: Johor has made an appeal to the Federal Government to set up a China visa processing centre here, says state tourism, environment, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar.

He said this would ease the visa application process for those wanting to travel to China as well as make it easier for Chinese nationals here.

“We are talking to the Chinese Embassy to see if we could have a visa processing centre here to make it easier for people to travel between Johor and China, as well as Chinese citizens who need assistance for visa-related issues,” he said after welcoming some 100 travellers from Guangzhou, China, at the Senai International Airport here yesterday.

This was the first flight from China to Johor since the closure of borders following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

According to Raven Kumar, three flights each way, every week, would operate between Guangzhou and Johor, with the possibility of more such flights being scheduled.

“We hope that with help, we can further boost the tourism sector here. We are also looking into having flights from other parts of China, such as Beijing,” said Raven Kumar.