SHAH ALAM - Former Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz says the target set by the current ministry after reopening the border this year is a great start for the tourism industry.
He said the goal to attract two million international tourists was achievable and applauded the ministry for setting the target.
"This is good because unless they have a target, then they would not know what they are aiming for.
"For me, the target is not too ambitious and achievable because during my time we even received 30 million tourists but of course, now there is also the pandemic to consider,” he told Sinar Daily.
When asked if there Was anything that the current Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry should improve, he said there was always room for improvement.
He also commented on the alleged stigma for tourists from China as Covid-19 was claimed to have originated from the country.
"In tourism, you cannot be discriminatory and you need to make everybody feels welcomed.
"Covid-19 is not just from China, it happened all over the world and now we have the monkeypox.
"We do have to make sure that diseases are stopped from spreading but it can be done in a friendly way. We do not have to be discriminatory,” he said.
Nazri added that the tourism sector in the country should welcome China tourists after their lockdown ended as the latter tended to go all out when they travel and several Malaysian products were aimed by the tourists such as Malaysia’s white coffee and durian.
On June 1, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri launched the #WeMissYou campaign, which was targeted at the Middle East region to invoke feelings of nostalgia among travellers on the magnificent attractions that Malaysia offered earlier.
Nancy said the border reopening was a huge relief to the industry, as the country can now welcome more international tourists and further boost the economy.
She added that the ministry targeted to attract two million international tourists arrival this year with more than RM8.6 billion (AED7.5 billion) in tourism receipts.