‘Market pasar malam to tourists’

PETALING JAYA: The pasar malam, the country's popular night markets, should be turned into a unique Malaysian attraction to draw more visitors, tourism industry players said. The idea came about following a recent comment by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that those in the industry should zero in on unexploited areas to spur growth in tourism, identified as a major contributor to the nation's coffers.

Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association secretary-general Tai Poh Kinsaid the pasar malam should be held at a fixed place and time in every town so that tourists could easily find them. “Currently, the night markets are set up in different locations at different times of the week, making it difficult for visiting foreigners,” he said. “If we can have designated places for the night markets, many tourists will be interested in them.

“This will give them a chance to experience Malaysian food and mingle with the local people.” He suggested that the night markets focused on promoting Malaysian cuisine. Tai said providing pasar malam operators a designated place would also allow them to prepare food in a more hygienic way.

Malaysian Association of Tours and Travel Agents president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said there should be more terminals for cruises. “We should also clean our rivers so that tourists will be able to enjoy the scenery along the riverside,” he said. Mohd Khalid said the public transportation system needed to be improved so that tourists could easily travel within the country.

Tourism Malaysia acting director-general Datuk Azizan Noordin said the board was promoting art and tours to parks and gardens as new tourism products. “We received some really good response for art tourism when we first promoted it last year, with RM14mil worth of works sold. “This is a product that targets high-end travellers from China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Europe,” he said. Azizan said many tourists, especially those from Britain, were interested in Malaysia's parks and gardens.

-thestar online.