Following the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 with more than 150 Chinese nationals on board, tourist arrivals from China have dipped. However, after efforts from the governments and tourism sectors of both countries, the trend is reversing.

Malaysia waived visa fees for Chinese tourists, introduced e-visas, and waived visa requirements entirely for tour groups from China. Airlines have been adding more new flights both to secondary Chinese cities as well as top Malaysian tourist destinations outside the capital. It's all paying dividends. In the first five months of 2017, the number of tourists from China rose some 26 percent year-on-year to 1.4 million.

The number of Malaysians visiting China has been rising quickly too, with Malaysia now among the biggest sources of foreign tourists to China.