KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 — Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board chairman Datuk Siew Ka Wei welcomed Putrajaya’s proposal to raise allocations for tourism in 2018, saying it would allow more Malaysians to profit from the industry.
Highlighting the RM500 million set aside to develop and promote the industry as well as to encourage participation in home-stays, Siew described these as a clear nod to the importance of tourism to the Malaysian economy.
Budget 2018 was also inclusive and contained benefits for all sections of Malaysia, he added.
“The fact that home-stays, ecotourism and some of the forgotten assets that we have were also included clearly shows the prime minister and the government want everyone to be a part of this incredible journey leading up to 2020,” he said.
“Tourism has helped generate a lot of income for many people across the board, and I am confident that it could one day become the nation’s biggest income generator.”
Among others, Najib announced RM2 billion to encourage SME participation in tourism, RM1 billion to develop the local tourism infrastructure, and the continuation of existing incentives for hotels and tour operators.
The prime minister also said 2020 will be a Visit Malaysia Year (VMY).
“The money for promotion, especially the online and soft loans for tourism infrastructure leading up to 2020, will give a huge boost to the sector,” Siew said.
Najib additionally announced Malaysia will host various international forums such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in conjunction with VMY 2020.
