THE Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) had set itself a target of achieving 30 million tourist arrivals in Malaysia by the year 2020.
Deputy Minister Muhammad Bakthiar Wan Chik said the influx of tourists into the country for the previous year which numbered around 26.1 million played a pivotal role in boosting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation to 15.1 per cent from 14.9 per cent.
“We are now asking for more budget to promote tourism because it is key to the sustainability of the tourism industry itself, ” he told reporters after the flag-off ceremony for the 2018 Distinguish Gentleman’s Ride Penang in the morning of Sept 30.
He said with additional allocation, MOTAC would be able to promote tourism to a wider audience.
“We are now facing stiff competition from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and also Singapore when it comes to tourism. So, we have to enhance our promotion (of tourism) and we hope Malaysians themselves will take part in improving our domestic tourism,” he said.
Bakthiar added that his ministry is currently working with the Education Ministry to introduce staggered school holiday breaks according to states in order to effectively distribute the domestic tourist load.
Story by Danny Ooi
Pix by Alissala Thian