Malaysia's ringgit fall can attract Singaporean tourists

JOHOR BAHRU - The current depreciation of the ringgit should be utilised to draw more Singaporeans to spend and visit tourist destinations in the state.

Tourism Johor director Sharil Nizam Abdul Rahim said this would indirectly have a positive impact on the tourism sector in the state.

"We should leverage the ringgit depreciation as an opportunity and make the most out of the situation. Enhancing international promotions and offering enticing holiday packages can help attract more tourists.

"One of the sectors that can be promoted is health tourism.

"At the moment, many health tourists visiting Johor are Indonesians. There is an opportunity to also attract Singaporean tourists in this particular sector," he said.

He said this after inaugurating the Central Business District (CBD) Heritage Walk at Legaran Segget here on Sunday.

Previously, the Singaporean media reported that since the border was reopened and the ringgit continued to decline against the Singapore dollar, Singaporeans have flocked to Johor for shopping and vacations.

Sharil said there were many internationally recognised medical experts in the state's hospitals and with the depreciation of the ringgit, it will be an additional attraction for them to seek treatment.

He added that Tourism Johor will continue promoting the state to Singaporeans, aiming to position the state not just as a transit or shopping stop but as a significant tourist destination for them.

He said his team had come up with several initiatives that will be implemented to make this happen.

He emphasised that one of the initiatives was to provide attractive tourism packages that were favoured by tourists from the republic.

"Some may say that Singaporeans only see Johor as a stopover or transit to other locations or just for shopping, but we have initiatives to make them stop and stay in the state.

"One of the initiatives is the preservation of iconic buildings in the state, along with arrangement of appealing vacation package itineraries. This way, tourists opting for these packages will have the opportunity to stay overnight in the state," he added.