In a move to attract more Indian tourists to Malaysia, the government plans to grant them instant visas, said Deputy Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen.

Based on reciprocity accords, citizens of both countries are now required to apply for a visa before embarking on a trip.

According to a report in The Sun today, Ng said the move was considered as there had been a 100 percent rise in tourist arrivals from India last year compared to 2000.

"Indian tourist arrivals had gone up from 70,000 in 2000 to almost 150,000 last year," she said.

The deputy minister added the new immigration policy could take at least 18 months to implement since many aspects, including internal security, had to be considered.

Malaysia has also become an attractive destination for India's film industry. On April 6, the International Indian Film Academy Awards will be held at Genting Highlands.

On Malaysia's tourists arrival projection for 2002, Ng said the government would be happy if it could maintain last year's 12.7 million arrivals, which brought RM24 billion revenue. (AFP)