KUALA LUMPUR: The number of foreign visitors entering Malaysia through the Malaysia-Thailand border rose by 6% in the first eight months of the year from the corresponding period last year, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
He stated that a total of 1.59 million visitors entered Malaysia through the northern border from January to August, up from 1.49 million during the same period last year.
Tiong said the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah recorded the most entries at 479,626, followed by Padang Besar with 515,903 and Rantau Panjang with 235,526.
"The consistent rise in arrivals shows that cross-border travel between Malaysia and Thailand remains active and continues to recover strongly after the pandemic years," he said in a parliamentary written reply to Pang Hok Liong (PH-Labis) on Tuesday (Oct 28).
According to the ministry's data, arrivals through the Malaysia-Thailand border have steadily recovered from pandemic lows, increasing from 76,838 visitors in 2021 to 1.13 million in 2022 and 2.22 million in 2023.
Tiong said the recovery trend was reflected across all border checkpoints, particularly at Bukit Kayu Hitam, Padang Besar, and Rantau Panjang, which together accounted for over two-thirds of total entries so far this year.
