However the total number of tourists between January and November 2003 to 9.25 million fell 23 percent from a year ago, the Business Times said.

Neighbouring Singapore remained Malaysia's main source of tourists last month, with about 651,000 people, an increase of 10.87 percent from a year ago.

Sharp increases were also noted in the number of Indonesian tourists in November, up 62 percent compared to 52,087 last year, it quoted an unnamed source as saying.

Tourist numbers from South Korea and Taiwan surged 32 percent each, compared with last year's 4,518 and 11,771 respectively.

Despite travel advisories issued by the United States to its citizens to avoid travelling to parts of Malaysia following the abduction of six workers from a resort on Borneo island, the number of American tourists rose 32 percent to 15,618 from 11,832 year-on-year.