KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has called for increased efforts from state governments to promote the unique tourism offerings within each region of the country.
This response follows reports indicating a significant drop in the number of foreign tourists visiting Malaysia compared to the same period last year.
In 2023, the total number of foreign tourists was recorded at 20.1 million. However, figures for 2024 up to June show only 11.8 million visitors, a decline from 16.2 million visits during the same timeframe last year.
Speaking to Scoop, Nigel expressed MATTA’s willingness to assist state governments in their promotional efforts should they seek support.
According to reports, Johor was the most visited state by foreign tourists last year, attracting 8.9 million visitors, while Labuan saw fewer than 1 million.
Nigel stated, “We believe a lot can be done to promote the states in the country to boost our domestic tourism sector. I’m not saying all the states, but there are some that aren’t promoting much, despite having beautiful attractions.”
“At MATTA, we are always ready to help by lending our expertise to state governments. If they approach us, we can definitely work together to come up with a plan to expose some of the hidden gems in each state.”
“For now, we are primarily focusing on a few tourist attractions for overseas visitors, but if we can expand the number of attractions, we can increase revenue for our industry,” Nigel remarked.
As of June this year, Malaysia’s total tourism revenue, which encompasses domestic tourism, was reported to be RM45 million.
The Statistics Department revealed that the majority of domestic visitors to six states—Johor, Melaka, Pahang, Penang, Perlis, Selangor—and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya, earn between RM5,001 and RM10,000 per month.
Additionally, five states—Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Sabah, and Sarawak—recorded the highest percentage of domestic visitors from households earning RM1,001 to RM3,000 per month. – October 10, 2024