TOURISM players welcome the RM1.1 billion allocation to boost Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VMY2020), but lament that the timing is off, with less than three months until year-end.

Of the total sum, which was announced during the tabling of Budget 2020 on Friday, RM90 million is to drive VMY2020 promotional campaigns.

The Malaysian Association of Inbound Tourism (MITA) questioned how tourism players will access the funds in time, as promotional efforts should be carried out before 2019 comes to an end.

“What we need is money in the shortest time possible to promote Malaysian tourism,” MITA president Uzaidi Udanis told The Malaysian Insight.

RM1.1 billion is generous but Malaysia must be strategic about how it conducts its tourism campaigns, he said.

“RM1.1 billion is not a small figure. To attract 30 million tourists to Malaysia, I believe great effort must be made to woo the China and India markets,” he said, referring to VMY2020’s targeted tourist arrivals.

Promotional campaigns should also take into account Europeans’ preferred travel periods, such as winter, as well as peak periods for Chinese and Indian nationals, he said.

Apart from the sum set aside to promote VMY2020, Budget 2020 also has tax incentives for the tourism sector, including income-tax exemption for some new theme parks and tax deduction for sponsors.

In terms of strategy, efforts should be focused on China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, said the Malaysia Inbound Chinese Association.

Its president, Angie Ng, said the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry need not bother with printed materials, like magazines and pamphlets, for these markets, and should instead utilise Chinese-language social media platforms and “influencers” with a huge following in the said countries.

“This is the way to achieve maximum publicity and promote Malaysian tourism in the shortest time.”

Lauding the tax exemption for new theme parks, she said the government should also plan cultural and heritage programmes and attractions, which are popular among Chinese nationals.

The Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association, meanwhile, said the money spent on promotional and advertising campaigns would be worth it only if the government gets the basics right, such as improving procedures and waiting time at Immigration Department checkpoints.

President Albert Tan Sam Soon said this is key, as the checkpoints are tourists’ “first contact” with Malaysia.

“It is their first contact with (Malaysian) people, and the officials should show goodwill and greet visitors with a smile. Otherwise, we would spend so much money to promote tourism, but visitors do not have a good first impression.”

MITA’s Uzaidi added that he is glad Putrajaya has recognised the Causeway’s importance in tourism with its promise to invest RM85 million and open more counters to ease the flow through the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex.

The government also said it will proceed with the rapid transit system project between Johor Baru and Singapore as part of a long-term solution to ease congestion.

Both Uzaidi and Tan praised Putrajaya’s investment in medical tourism, with its RM25 million allocation for the Malaysian Healthcare Tourism Council to make the country the preferred destination within Asean for oncology, cardiovascular and fertility treatments.

They said the number of Indonesians who come to Malaysia for medical examinations is increasing each year, and more Indonesians are opting to undergo plastic surgery here.

Uzaidi urged the government to note new tourism trends, such as small groups and families’ preference to rent cars, vans or small buses for “self-drive tours”.

Budget 2020’s accelerated capital allowance for tour operators to buy locally assembled excursion buses should be extended to car manufacturers, which can cater to the needs of small groups of tourists, he said.

“More and more tourists like to travel as a family or in a small group by renting their own vehicle. We hope that the government will encourage car manufacturers to roll out vehicles that are popular among tourists.” – October 13, 2019.