Malaysia unveils 10-year plan to double tourism receipts

MALAYSIA unveiled an ambitious 10-year plan to attract more high-yield tourists yesterday, aiming to double tourism receipts to RM103.5 billion (US$33.5 billion) by 2020. It is looking to tap into medium-haul markets which currently constitute 15 per cent of total arrivals, with a goal is to expand this to 43 per cent by 2020. Countries earmarked for more intensive marketing efforts were China, India, South Korea, Australia and Japan, and barriers such as connectivity and visa policy would be addressed.

Twelve entry point projects have also been identified to grow the tourism industry in order to raise its Gross National Income contribution by RM67 billion to reach RM104 billion. These include developing the world’s first eco-nature integrated resort in Sabah and building three premium outlets across the country. The above were recommendations proposed by the private and public sector at a recent tourism lab initiated by the government’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit. The two-month lab that started in June was helmed by the chairman of Tourism Malaysia.
-TTG Asia.