‘Global trend’ to determine tourist arrivals

RAUB: The Tourism Ministry will set its target on foreign tourist arrivals for 2012 based on the global economic climate and regional developments, its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.

“We know that when the global economy slows down, people (around the world) tend to travel to places that are closer to home. “That is why we need to make sure that our domestic travel industry remains strong,” she said after launching the Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia taxi advertising campaign here yesterday.

In 2010, Malaysia saw 110 million visits by local tourists to various locations in the country, creating about RM34bil in revenue. This was more than 35% of the total tourism revenue of RM90bil for the year.

Cabbie power: Ng arriving in Raub to launch the Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia taxi advertising campaign.

“We have not finalised the figure for year 2011 as we are still collecting statistics from agencies such as the Immigration Department,” she said. Dr Ng said that initiatives such as the newly-launched taxi advertising campaign here would raise awareness among Malaysians about local events and attractions. Besides decorating taxis with advertising material, 41 taxi drivers in Raub will also be trained as tourism ambassadors.

“Although foreign tourists are often found in larger cities, taxi drivers in smaller towns like Raub can recommend tourist attractions in the town to Malaysians,” said Dr Ng. If the six-month advertising campaign is successful, Dr Ng hopes to launch the programme in other towns.

-thestar online.