'Don't expect the country's tourism industry to grow organically' - MCA

SHAH ALAM - The government should not rely on the organic growth of the country's tourism industry, especially when other countries are taking strategic steps to aggressively attract visitors, said MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon.

He urged the government to seriously consider measures to maintain Malaysia's competitiveness in the global tourism sector.

"For example, in Thailand, apart from visa exemptions, all tourism promotion initiatives are centrally coordinated with federal authorities providing full support to campaigns, whether at the local or city level.

"This is to avoid wasting resources, and central authorities can promote the entire country as an attractive destination for vacationers," he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

On Sept 13, the media reported that Thailand was exempting visa requirements for travellers from China and Kazakhstan for a five-month period from Sept 25 to the end of February, in an effort to boost tourist arrivals.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said the temporary exemption is expected to attract an additional five million visitors.

Meanwhile, Sin Woon said Malaysia has the potential to generate RM10 billion in revenue for the country's economy if it takes similar steps as Thailand in offering visa exemptions to tourists.

"Malaysia should not lose our competitiveness and should do more to capture a larger share of the growing outbound tourist segment from countries like China, where tourist visas are still required.

"Malaysia should be in a good position now to attract tourists, considering the holiday season from now until the end of the year or the Chinese New Year in 2024.

"MCA continues to support and echoes the call for the tourism industry to take tactical steps to attract tourists, including offering visa exemptions for a certain period, at least from now until next Chinese New Year," he said.