IPOH - The state government is currently in discussions with several airline companies to increase the number of direct flights from Asean nations to Ipoh as part of the Visit Perak Year 2024 (TMP2024) initiative, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
According to him, it is one of the approaches to attract foreign tourists to Perak, pending approval from the Transport Ministry (MOT).
"Currently, the routes primarily include flights from Singapore to Ipoh and from Senai (Johor) to Ipoh. Therefore, as part of Visit Perak Year, we have been in talks with several airline companies due to the evident rise in tourist demand.
"It will enable tourists to fly directly to Ipoh without having to transit through Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)," he said during a press conference after officiating the Youth Friendly Carnival (Kamu) 2023 at the Indera Mulia Stadium here today.
Earlier, Saarani said the state government aimed to attract eight million domestic tourists and 350,000 international tourists, with an expected economic impact of RM10 billion in the tourism sector.
Meanwhile, Saarani said the state government has allocated RM7 million to Tourism Perak to assist tourism sector entrepreneurs throughout the state in upgrading and improving facilities for tourists.
He said the allocation is also being used to restore the Pasir Salak Historical Complex, a key tourism attraction since its establishment in 1990.
"The allocation was provided in June this year, and we hope that the funds disbursed will be utilised effectively by entrepreneurs to ensure that the facilities provided are of the highest quality,” he added. - BERNAMA