A LACK of attractions and no proper maintenance of available tourist spots are among factors that have led to the sorry state of tourism in Terengganu, an industry expert said.

Terrapuri Heritage Village owner Alex Lee Yun Ping told The Malaysian Insight that with the current state of events, the state, which is blessed with serene islands and tranquil beaches, would not be able to attract tourists.

Even the capital city of Kuala Terengganu does not have enough attractions to lure visitors, he said.

He added that Covid-19 alone is not a factor in the drop in visitors to the east coast state.

Lee said the situation is very disappointing as Terengganu has the potential to become a globally recognised tourist spot just like Penang, Langkawi and Sabah.

He said Terengganu had previously been listed in the top five tourist destinations in Malaysia.

However, due to the state’s failures and weaknesses, it has been absent from the list for the past six years, despite boasting various attractions such as cultural and artistic heritage sites and natural sea and lake landscapes.

“Our rankings are falling. We used to be listed among the top five but we are slipping due to numerous factors, including being far away from big cities in Selangor or Perak.

“Besides that, our local product rankings are also far behind, although Terengganu has many good products. We are weak in terms of infrastructure and marketing,” said the former deputy chairman of the state tourism association.

Tourism is the second most important sector for Terengganu but the industry has been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and the implementation of the movement-control order.

In 2019, Terengganu received 5.9 million domestic tourists, but only 2.7 million in 2020. No tourist entry data is available for 2021.

In early January, tourism exco Ariffin Deraman targeted an influx of three million tourists to Terengganu this year.

State government must lead

Lee said many state attractions to promote tourism had gone to waste following a lack of maintenance and upkeep.

He cited Taman Tamadun Islam, a monument park of 23 replicas of world-famous mosques, as an example, saying that it was built at a cost of RM100 million but has been left without maintenance.

He said the same is true of the Terengganu museum and the crystal mosque, which have been closed for four years.

“There are many examples of projects that cost hundreds of millions and should be major attractions, but actually end up wasted because there is no maintenance,” he said.

Apart from the issue of no proper upkeep, Lee also said the state lacks sufficient attractions to bring in tourists and their money.

“There are no issues in attracting them to the islands as we have beaches and coral (reefs) but outside of the islands, in the cities and towns, is where the problem is.

“Look at the drawbridge in Kuala Terengganu. Tourists only stop to snap photos, and they only do this once. They will not come back here again as there are no activities for them,” he said.

He said the state government must play a proactive role in rectifying weaknesses to save the tourism industry in Terengganu.

He added that he had to take his own measures in diversifying activities at his resort in Setiu to attract more tourists.

However, he said, such efforts should not be limited to industry players because they still need support from the state government.

“The state government must initiate, and find investors to open five-star hotels in Kuala Terengganu. In the city of Kuala Terengganu, there are no five-star hotels.

“Then, hold exhibitions and introduce activities. Only then the industry players will also start to be more active, like in Penang.

“Only through this will we have development. This is not difficult. In fact, (the government) must be serious in fixing weaknesses and making full use of what we have here, including our islands, arts and culture,” he said. – May 10, 2022.