The China National Tourism Administration stated that the missing Malaysian flight has resulted in a decrease in the number of tourists from China traveling to Malaysia during the May Day holiday. The Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014 and no definitive traces have been found yet.
The administration said that the majority of travel agencies have decided to change the previously popular itinerary Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand to a Singapore-Vietnam-Thailand one because of the negative impression of Malaysia from the Flight MH370 accident. No further information was provided, but it has been stated that many travel agencies have canceled group trips to Malaysia.
Meanwhile, members of the Chinese public, as well as families of the missing passengers have criticized authorities in Malaysia for not providing enough information on the issue. The China Tourism Academy professor, Yang Jinsong said that the decrease in Chinese travel is likely to affect the tourism industry of Malaysia, which might continue for years.
Jinsong added, “Chinese are one of the major groups of tourists for the country, and the negative impression will have serious consequences”. The professor also said that the restoration of Malaysian image might take a long time. The tourism administration of China said that the travel market has experienced a downfall during the May Day holiday.
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