TOURISM Malaysia’s first sales mission to Thailand is expected to help reconnect with the Thai market after the Covid-19 hiatus.

The mission led by Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Nancy Shukri in two major cities – Bangkok and Songkhla – began on Monday and wraps up today.

Nancy said the sales mission would offer insights on Malaysia’s latest tourist attractions and future developments, as well as making new contacts with the tourism industry players in Thailand.

“We hope it will create new partnerships to attract more Thais to choose Malaysia as their vacation destination… We are close to each other as neighbouring countries and Malaysia is also a value-for-money destination.

“This is an excellent opportunity for us to reconnect and reinvigorate the tourism industry together as we look forward to a sustainable recovery, especially in the Asean region,” she said in Bangkok last night.

Thailand is one of Malaysia’s essential short-haul markets. In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 1.88 million arrivals from Thailand and almost 70% of which were repeat travellers coming for holidays, shopping, and to visit friends and relatives.

Nancy said Thais most frequently visited Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Pahang, adding that Malaysia aims to attract 800,000 Thai tourists this year.

“We want to see the Thais reach the top in tourist arrival numbers in Malaysia. At present, Thailand ranks second, after Singapore.

“After a two-year Covid hiatus, we are offering new products and services to meet new travel demand especially among Thais.

“For example, many Thais may have not been to Sabah or Sarawak. Thus, we hope to attract more international travellers to explore these states,” she said.

Nancy said the tourism industry has been a significant contributor to the economy in Malaysia. In 2019, tourism contributed 15.9% to the economy and supported 3.6 million jobs, which made up 23.6% of the national workforce. – Bernama, August 19, 2022.