New Straits Times 30 July, 2004
Malaysia’s tourist arrivals are likely to hit an unprecedented high this year, making it the second most visited Asian destination after China. This would also help maintain the industry’s position as the country’s second largest revenue earner and contributor to the GNP.
Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad said arrivals for the first half of the year exceeded the projection of 6.5 million by 1.3 million.
He said the ministry expected revenue from tourism to hit RM30 billion by the year’s end.
"I think we can achieve the target of 15 million visitors this year which will be the biggest ever. This will make us the second largest tourist market in Asia after China," Dr Toyad said at a dialogue with senior editors at Balai Berita here.
Also present was his deputy, Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who said Malaysia was targeting tourists from emerging markets such as China, India and the Middle East.
He said tourism officials were customising promotion of the country and its products to meet the demand.
"The industry is getting more competitive and we must come up with new ways to attract tourists. We must sell ourselves as a nation with our own attractions instead of being seen as a regional entity," he said.
For example, he said Malaysian promotions in the Middle East sold Malaysia as a shoppers’ paradise as people in the region loved to shop.
Both acknowledged the role of newspapers in promoting tourism, saying that they did this by promoting a positive image of the country.
Also present at the dialogue were NSTP group-editor-in-chief Datuk Kalimullah Hassan, NST group editor Hardev Kaur, Berita Harian group editor Hishamuddin Aun, senior editors and Tourism Ministry officials. |