Tourism sector set to fly high

The tourism ind­ustry will scale greater heights with the increase in allocations in Budget 2013, said Tou­rism Mi­n­is­ter Da­tuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.


Describing the budget announ­ced by the Prime Minister yesterday as “responsible and very implementable”, Ng said the incentives would motivate industry players to work harder towards making Malaysia a leading tourist destination. “I am very pleased with the budget as the extra allocation for Visit Malaysia Year will definitely boost the industry,” she said, adding that the ministry had targeted 26.8 million tourist arrivals in the coming year.

The tourism industry was allocated RM358mil under Budget 2013 in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2013/2014, which is a 42% increase from last year’s allocation of RM250mil.

Tour operators who bring in at least 750 foreign tourists or handle a minimum of 1,500 local tourists per year will also receive 100% income tax exemption for three years.

Ng said the tax exemption incentive would encourage tour operators to be more innovative and creative in coming up with new tourism products to attract more visitors.
-thestar online.