8 Key Takeaways From Najib's Speech About Tourism To Malaysian Travel Agents
PM Najib Razak met the Malaysian Association of Tours and Travel Agents (MATTA) for “An Hour with the Prime Minister” event at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) yesterday (27 August).
By Tang Ruxyn — 28 Aug 2015, 05:55 PM — Updated over 9 years ago
1. Malaysia has many "selling points" and value for money is one of them
The value for money that foreign tourists will experience in Malaysia is among the many “selling points” that need to be communicated by the tourism industry, including the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta), to boost travel numbers, the Prime Minister said today.
therakyatpost.com
2. Other selling points include "our renowned Malaysian hospitality and culture of service, our rich national heritage, and our cultural diversity"
"All of these are still huge selling points that need to be amplified and communicated across all channels to drive up tourism numbers.”
themalaysianinsider.com
3. MATTA and its members have a role to play in helping to project the "truth" about the country to foreign markets
This should be done, he said, "so that misconceptions and negative views grounded in falsehood - especially as spread through social media - can be corrected and tourists are not put off from visiting the country".
bernama.com
4. The number of tourist arrivals to Malaysia had dropped by 8.6 per cent but not much can be done about it
The situation was due to several factors, most of which were beyond Malaysia's control, Najib said, citing the twin Malaysia Airlines tragedies and the Air Asia crash as well flooding as examples.
5. Vagaries of the global economy have also impacted not only Malaysia but also other ASEAN countries
"It's worth noting here that this uncertain global economic climate has had a negative effect not just on Malysia but other ASEAN countries as well," he said.
bernama.com
7. “Incentives may need to be revised and immigration issues like visa-on-arrival and visa fees and also electronic visas need to be revisited with a view of making it easier for certain categories of tourists to enter the country"
Najib said airlines and airports too needed to be further engaged to increase direct flights and greater connectivity, both of which had shown to be directly correlated to increased tourist arrivals.
He suggested that the Cabinet Committee on Tourism reconvene soon to tackle cross-ministerial issues that had to be resolved.
bernama.com
8. "In the meantime, the industry itself must believe in Malaysia's tourism fundamentals and must in their own way market those fundamentals to help boost the industry"
