PETALING JAYA, Jan 22 — Providing cheaper air fares is not good enough to increase domestic tourism, said local tourism associations.

Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (Matta) president Hamzah Rahmat said although more competitive rates for air fares would be available, the government needs to focus on improving tourism destinations.

“If you look at Langkawi for example, there is nothing new going on there. Even the maintenance of the older attraction sites, such as the cable car and the floating bridge, is not done efficiently,” he said.

“The (floating) bridge has been out of service for years because of damaged wood and poor maintenance, and despite this, it is still being marketed as an attraction point.”

Hamzah said the country’s tourist destinations paled in comparison to neighbouring countries.

“The neighbouring countries always have something new and exciting. That is the key to keep people coming back,” he said.

“In Malaysia, the attractions are always the same and poorly maintained.”

He said the people would think twice before “holidaying locally” in light with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in April.

“The prices for accommodation, food, goods and services will increase once GST is implemented. This will affect the local tourism industry,” he said.

He said many would prefer to visit places like Hadyai and Phuket in Thailand as they were “cheap and fun”.

Malaysian Tourists Guides Association president Jimmy Leong lauded the government for its calls in providing competitive air fares, but said there were other aspects that needed to be addressed.

“Countries like Korea thrive in domestic tourism because there is focus on it,” he said, adding that such focus would provide an economic boost to the country.

Leong suggested developing a two-tier system that would benefit Malaysians with more attractive offers when they visit local tourist attractions.

“The system features pricing gaps between international and local visitors. But as of now, the gap is not substantial enough to make a difference,” he said.

“If the system was improved, and Malaysians could save RM20 to enter Legoland in Johor, for example, it would definitely attract a family of three or bigger.”

Leong said the government should take more efforts in improving the maintenance of tourist destinations.

“Malaysia is great at starting something but often falls short when it comes to maintaining it,” he said.

“Look at the Johor-Singapore causeway. The traffic coming into Johor is enough to put off potential tourists.”