Malaysia aims to woo back Chinese

Volume of tourists fell sharply after kidnappings, MH370 disappearance

It has been a difficult year for tourism in Malaysia. The mysterious disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight on March 8, in which two-thirds of its passengers were Chinese nationals, and the abduction of a Chinese tourist from a resort in Sabah on April 2, have made many Chinese tourists stay away out of fear and anger. With the Year of the Festivals 2015 tourism campaign around the corner, the country is going all out to woo back Chinese tourists who are a huge and important segment of the tourism industry.

Sounding a little exasperated, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz said he cannot understand "the thinking of some people".