Disaster Should Not Hinder Country's Tourism Growth - MTC

KUALA LUMPUR, June 19 (Bernama) -- A disaster or any other crisis should not hinder the country's tourism industry growth, said Malaysian Tourism Council (MTC) president Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin.

He said South Korea for instance, which is facing the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, had remained a choice destination for foreign tourists. "This is because South Korea continues to actively promote its tourism attractions even in the face of disaster such as the ferry tragedy and now the MERS.

"In the event of a disaster in the country, it is our responsibility to step up efforts to alter potential foreign visitors' negative perception and woo them to Malaysia," he told Bernama here.

On the earthquake that devastated Mt Kinabalu, a popular tourist destination in Sabah, Mohd Sharkar believed it had not adversely affected foreign visitor arrival to the state which has an abundance of other attractions.

He said in this regard, MTC was actively drawing and carrying out promotion programmes to increase visitor flow particularly foreign tourists. "We will also monitor the country's tourism services, from the entry point to transportation and accommodation (hotel) to ensure that they match tourists' requirements, which vary from time to time," he said.

He said MTC was also working with local universities such as International Islamic University Malaysia to produce more ideas for annual tourism programmes in the country.
-bernama.

Tourism Council Backs Hastening Of Visa Exemption For China Tourists

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Tourism Council (MTC) supports a proposal to speed up exemption of visa for tourists from China to lure more of its people to visit the country.

MTC president Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin said Indonesia and Thailand which abolished visa for tourists were enjoying a surge in their arrivals.

"Malaysia is able to lure only 350,000 tourists from China while Thailand has recorded two million tourists from China in the first three months of this year.

"The joy of Thai nationals is obvious at this development. The Malaysian Government should emulate Thailand's example," he said in a statement here Saturday.

On Wednesday, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said the home ministry (KDN) should speed up the proposal to abolish visa for tourists from China, following a major drop in their arrival.

Mohamed Nazri said he had raised the issue in the Cabinet and KDN was directed to prepare a Cabinet paper to abolish the visa for a year's trial period.

Mohd Sharkar said even a one-year trial period could impact positively on the tourist arrival and simultaneously, bring good returns to the national tourism industry.

If the abolition of the visa could not be hastened, MTC wanted the government to consider enabling the visa to be obtained online as the existing method was time-consuming.
-bernama.

Make Malaysia The Talk Of Tourists - Najib

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- Tourism industry players are urged to play a more dynamic role to provide tourists with the best experience so that Malaysia will always be on their lips.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said an extensive and effective marketing strategy is needed, right from the entry point into the country to the hotels, to create an attractive and unforgettable experience for tourists.

"To boost the country's tourism industry to a higher level, Malaysia has to have a product which is different, be it in physical term, the ecosystem, courtesy and the best service for tourists.

"Never look at tourists as a chance for making excessive profits, including to cheat by marking up prices, like taxi drivers who do not use the meter," he added. He said the choice of providing an attractive or bad experience for tourists is in the hands of players in the industry.

The prime minister was speaking at a dinner hosted by the National Tourism Council of Malaysia (NTCM) here tonight. Also present was NTCM president Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin.

In a related development, Najib said the growth of the tourism industry gave Malaysia the confidence to achieve the target of 36 million tourist arrivals in 2020 with revenue of RM168 billion, as stated in the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA). "For this year alone, we are targetting 29.4 million tourist arrivals with spending at RM89 billion.

"We believe, with the Malaysia Year of Festivals 2015 campaign, as a continuation of the Visit Malaysia Year, the target can be achieved on the condition that all parties involved play their respective roles," he added.

Najib said Malaysia is not only rich in natural environment as a tourist attraction, but also various world-class infrastructure which continue to draw attention and made it the choice destination for tourists.

"In fact, in terms of shopping satisfaction, Malaysia is the choice because of the price and quality factors," he said.

He also announced the rebranding of NTCM to Malaysian Tourism Council (MyTC), which he believed would give it a new breath of life and motivation for all parties involved to continue to ensure the success of the country's tourism industry.
-bernama.