Direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Nanchang, East China”s Jiangxi province, are expected into inject fresh impetus to the tourism sectors of both sides, said experts and officials.

The comments came after Nanchang recently launched direct flight services to Malaysia’s capital since the mutual visa exemption between China and Malaysia took effect in July.

The inaugural flight returned to Nanchang at around 9 pm on Aug 25, carrying some 200 Malaysian tourists.

“It used to be quite troublesome to travel to Jiangxi. Now, with the direct flight, it’s so convenient. This province has many beautiful cities — like Shangrao and Jingdezhen. The scenery we saw online is truly stunning, and we’re excited to explore,” said a Malaysian tourist surnamed Yang.

Operated by Jiangxi Air, the new route will be operated with two flights per week, every Monday and Saturday.

It is not only Jiangxi’s first direct flight to Malaysia post-visa waiver, but also currently the only direct route from this inland province to Southeast Asia.

On its inaugural day, the flight achieved a load factor of over 90 percent. Ding Chunling, general manager of the marketing and sales department at Jiangxi Air, said this reflects a deepening exchange between the people of China and Malaysia.

“We began preparing for this international route a long time ago. During a business trip to Malaysia with the provincial Party secretary last year to promote investment and tourism, many local travel agencies expressed strong interest in establishing direct flights to us,” Ding said.

“When news spread about the launch of this route, travel agencies rushed to make advance bookings — some even reserved seats through March next year,” Ding added.

Dato’ Mohd Izani Ghani, managing director of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, described the new route as a key strategic move to enhance aviation cooperation between Malaysia and China.

He said direct access to emerging inland markets in China would create more trade, investment and business opportunities for Malaysia.

It will also solidify Kuala Lumpur’s position as a major aviation hub in Southeast Asia and open new avenues for tourism, economic and cultural exchanges, he added.

The Nanchang-Kuala Lumpur route is Nanchang’s third international direct flight, following Osaka and Singapore.

The flight drastically shortens travel time between Southeast Asia and Jiangxi — from eight to nine hours with transfers down to just over four hours — and is expected to boost economic, trade and cultural tourism exchanges.

Data indicate that the route is projected to bring over 15,000 tourists annually from Southeast Asia to Nanchang.

The city has already seen significant growth in inbound tourism, with international visitor numbers rising by 20 percent year-on-year in the first half of the year.

“Outbound travel from Jiangxi is accelerating. We resumed flights to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in August and will launch flights to Macao in September,” said Xie Tao, chief of the second inspection section of Changbei Airport Customs.

In addition to Jiangxi, other places in China — including Qingdao in Shandong province and Haikou in Hainan province — have also launched direct flights to Kuala Lumpur since the mutual visa exemption took effect on July 17.

Last year, several cities, such as Wuhan in Hubei province, Nanjing in Jiangsu, Kunming in Yunnan, and Yantai in Shandong, also introduced direct flights to Kuala Lumpur.