PETALING JAYA, July 8 — The tourism industry is “crying” because the number of arrivals is dropping despite the weakening ringgit.

Statistics compiled by Tourism Malaysia showed a decline of about 600,000 arrivals in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.

There were 6,482,692 foreign visitors from January to March, down from 7,091,433 in the first three months of last year.

Tour & Travel Agents (Matta) president Hamzah Rahmat said the 8.6 per cent decline was triggered by several factors, which did not include the airline tragedies that shook Malaysia last year.

“The airline tragedies are no longer an issue as most travellers have got over their fear of air travel,” he said.

He said the local political situation was unstable and was affecting how people perceived Malaysia which, in turn, was driving away tourists. 

“Take Greece, for instance. It is a beautiful country but visitors would think twice about going there because of the unfortunate condition they are in now,” he said. 

Hamzah said accessibility and convenience were major concerns for tourists in determining which countries to visit.

“When people travel, they prefer a fuss-free trip. Most opt for countries which do not require visas. If Malaysia starts exempting visas, this could really boost our tourism sector,” he said.

He said Chinese tourists were regarded as top spenders, and urged the government to hasten the implementation date for the visa fee-free (VFF) scheme.

“If we had waived the visa procedure sooner, we probably could have seen an influx of tourists from China in the country by now,” he said.

Hamzah said another factor that contributed to the decline was the attitude of Malaysians.

“Most Malaysians have an ‘I-don’t-care’ attitude. They don’t offer help even for simple things such as directions. This is not right, we have to welcome them with open arms,” he said.

Regardless of the declining figures, Hamzah was hopeful that tourists, particularly from Asean countries, would visit Malaysia in the near future. 

Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong Wie Kong said there was a slow increase in inbound arrivals from short-haul destinations which could already be observed. 

“Reports from several travel agencies show a slow rise in arrivals especially from  Singapore and Thailand,” he said.