A successful year for tourism.

Date: 30 December 2012

A successful year for tourism.

PETALING JAYA: Industry players have described 2012 as a successful year for the country's tourism sector and the many achievements and international accolades bestowed on Malaysia is a reflection of its long list of accomplishments.

Kudos, they say, should go to the Tourism Ministry and its minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen for the tireless efforts to further promote the country to the world with new and “out of the box” tourism creations and innovations.

Industry players are confident the tourism achievements recorded this year will be a boon for both the industry and them especially in facing competition from other destinations.

Malaysia Tourist Guide Council president Jimmy Leong said the ministry has taken steps in the right direction by coming up with new and exciting packages and tourism products to lure more tourists to the country. He said the recognition received by Malaysia as the ninth most visited country in the world by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the fourth best shopping destination by CNN Travel has given Malaysia a better edge against its competitors.

“The international recognition has pushed us to another level. It is just not mere recognition because the world is now looking at us. If previously, international tourists are undecided on where they should land in Asia, the accolades and recognition will help them decide on their holiday destination which is Malaysia,” Leong said.

Leong said with Malaysia now placed high on international ranking, the council expect this to be translated to not only bigger number of tourist arrivals but also more income for his 10,000-odd members and he thanked the minister for setting up a taskforce to look into the council's views and grouses.

Malaysian Footwear Manufacturers Association president Tony Ting said the industry has benefited tremendously from yet another one of the ministry's creative idea Malaysian International Shoe Festival, which, since its introduction in 2010, has become a major hit among locals and foreign tourists and was an event that many looked forward to attending.

He said the ministry introduced the festival an anchor event for the annual Grand Prix Sales following a study that showed that 17% of the tourist dollar went to purchase of footwear and buying shoes was on top of the “must buy” list among visitors.

“We are pleased that the ministry had approached us and this event has definitely elevated the Malaysian footwear industry. Last year, the festival saw some 60,000 visitors and the numbers have increased over the past five years. We are also pleased with the international tourism endorsements accorded to Malaysia and it reflects Dr Ng's hard work to promote the country's tourism industry,” Ting said.

Gabungan Persatuan Pelukis se-Malaysia vice-president Datuk Mansor Taib said the ministry's “out of the box” efforts to promote local arts has brought recognition to Malaysian artists at home and abroad. He said thanks to a new tourism product the contemporary art package formulated to lure art lovers from all over the world to experience and appreciate Malaysian arts, local artists were able to display their labour of love.

“This innovative way of promoting arts have given art galleries a new lease of life and have resulted in the opening of more such venues.” Mansor added that the ministry's efforts in promoting art has also given local artists the opportunity to work along their foreign contemporaries, including with a group of Russian artists recently.

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