TOURISM and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has defended the appointment of FC Barcelona footballer Luis Suarez as Malaysia’s tourism ambassador, saying his popularity will drive up tourist numbers.

In the Dewan Rakyat today, Nazri said if Suarez were a “bad guy”, he would not have many followers on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

“If he’s a bad guy, he won’t have 25 million followers on Instagram. The numbers show that he’s a popular player,” Nazri said during question time.

He was responding to a question from Hee Loy Sian (PKR-Petaling Jaya Selatan), who asked about the factors behind the appointment of Suarez as the nation’s tourism ambassador, as well as payment and contract value.

In an additional question, Hee questioned Suarez’s disciplinary record.

The footballer is known to have bitten other teams’ players when he was with Liverpool FC.

“What matters is that we looked at the numbers. Obviously, what Hee says is not important. People still support him (Suarez),” said Nazri.

He said the ministry secured exclusive rights to the world-class striker, who is highly popular in Asia, especially in Indonesia and China.

“He has 25.3 million followers on Instagram, 18.9 million on Facebook and 12.4 million on Twitter.

“With this advertising campaign, the ministry can use him to promote exciting tourism destinations in Malaysia, specifically to local and international football fans, through his social media accounts.”

Nazri said in the ministry’s advertising campaign, in collaboration with international advertising company Mediapro Asia, advertisements on Malaysian tourism would be broadcast on 90 LED screens at 18 stadiums during the Spanish football league, or La Liga, season for 2017/2018.

“The ads will also be displayed on 30 digital board replacement screens in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau and other Asian countries where there is interest in Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

“The number of viewers (who watch FC Barcelona matches) in Asia is 225 million. In China, there are 445 million viewers. In Europe, there are 72.4 million viewers.”

Nazri said the advertising campaign would cost RM7.5 million. – November 30, 2017.