KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — The decrease in the number of visitor arrivals in the country this year is “normal” due to the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, says Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz.

“The slump of nine per cent in tourist arrivals from January to June this year should not be seen as something unusual but rather a common scenario following a special year.

“And indeed 2014 was a special year for us, with a spike in the number of tourist arrivals,” he said at a press conference on Home and Garden Promotion 2015, here, today.

“The problem is that the year after the visit Malaysia year, the number (of tourists) will decline as 2015 is like any other year.

“So if we compare the figures, there was certainly a decrease in the number of tourists from January to June, this year,” he added.             

Nonetheless, Nazri hoped that the target of 28 million tourists for 2015 would be achieved by the year-end despite the global economic slowdown and the haze in the country.

“We still have two more months before the year ends. We can try to reach our target of 28 million tourists...Last year, visitor arrivals numbered 27.4 million,” he said.

On the event, Nazri said the ninth edition of the Home and Garden Promotion would see 250 entrepreneurs showcasing their products to visitors from October 29 until November 2 at the Craft Complex in Jalan Conlay, here.

“I hope this promotion will encourage our people to choose and give preference to local crafts,” he said in his speech, earlier.

“And indirectly, consumers will also assist in popularising the use of craft items produced by local entrepreneurs for interior decorating and landscaping,” he said. — Bernama