介绍:
China accounts for 12 percent of visitors to Malaysia.
But some Chinese people are now hesitant to visit the country after flight MH370 went missing en route to Beijing.
"The missing flight has made a very negative impact on my impression of Malaysia and its airlines; so out of concern for my safety, I will not visit Malaysia if I go to Southeast Asia."
"I will not go to Malaysia. It is not safe. Vietnam could be a more-likely destination, but definitely not Malaysia."
Gao Xue is the manager of a Beijing Youth Travel Service booth.
"The package tours to Malaysia always include Thailand or Singapore, and we don't fly with Malaysian Airlines—more likely with Air China or Singapore Airlines. We are not affected much by the incident because the local environment is secure and stable. But for those who take their own trips, they are less willing to choose Malaysian Airlines."
Malaysia's government has designated this year as "Visit Malaysia Year" and the country hopes to lure 28 million foreign tourists, that is 100-thousand more than last year.
Qin Hongyan, chief of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board's Chengdu Office, says they don't expect a significant impact on the number of visitors.
"I've heard from travel agencies that the number of tourists visiting Malaysia is decreasing, but Malaysia's domestic environment is safe, and Malaysia boasts diverse nature and culture, so the impact won't be too serious."
Qin Hongyan says her agency will promote Malaysia's tourism later this year to restore people's confidence.
"We don't think it is the right time now to do any promotional events because it is still hard for people to accept the tragedy, and they feel uneasy about the incident. But we are considering using social media, for example, to invite bloggers or travel gurus to explore Malaysia, to let them know that Malaysia is safe to travel."
Qin Hongyan also notes that it is still early to say to what extent exactly the impact of the incident will loom over the country's tourism, since March and April do not fall within Malaysia's peak tourism season.
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