KUALA LUMPUR/NEW DELHI: Seeking to capitalise on US President Donald Trump’s controversial new travel restrictions, companies and officials in Asia said they would target greater tourism and education ties with Muslims worried about the curbs.
Trump’s Friday directive put a 120-day hold on allowing refugees into the country, an indefinite ban on refugees from Syria and a 90-day bar on citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
In Muslim-majority Malaysia, the group CEO of Asia’s largest budget airline, AirAsia, suggested countries in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) could cash in.
“With the world now getting more isolationist it’s time for Asean to start making it easier for tourists to come,” Tony Fernandes said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Malaysia is a popular destination for tourists from the Middle East, with nearly 200,000 arriving in 2016 from countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Qatar.
The country is also a key destination for medical tourism and halal tourism, with food and other products largely halal-certified.
In neighboring Thailand, tourism officials said the US ban could lift visitor numbers.
“The Middle East is a big market for us, especially in the medical tourism sector. They may choose to visit Thailand more and this may also boost our sector,” Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.
Trump has presented his ban as a way to protect the United States from Islamist militants, but it has been condemned by a growing list of foreign leaders and drawn protests by tens of thousands in American cities.
With concerns about safety and security building, some Asians were reconsidering US travel plans and seeking alternatives, even though their countries were not subject to the restrictions.
“When you want to travel, especially for leisure, then you want peace of mind,” said Alicia Seah, director of public relations and communications at Singapore’s Dynasty Travel.
SM Tareque, managing director of Orchid, a travel agency in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, said he had canceled his own trip fearing harassment at U.S. airports.
He said he knew of five people who were emigrating to the United States who had put their plans on hold.
Trump has argued tougher vetting of immigrants is needed to protect America from attacks, but critics complain that his order unfairly singles out Muslims and defiles
America’s historic reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants.