Tourist arrivals have doubled in Malaysia
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By June Ramli and Anna Maria New Straits Times 23rd July, 2004
Tourist arrivals have doubled for the first five months of the year despite the blaze of publicity on crime. Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said there were 6.5 million tourists this year until the end of the May.
"We have taken steps to ensure that tourists are safe. We have 600 plainclothes policemen patrolling tourist areas in the Klang Valley. They include General Duty Officers, the General Operations Force and the Federal Reserve Unit," he said. Ahmad Zahid also said the ministry was working with City Hall to ensure that tourists had a pleasant and memorable stay and did not become victims of snatch thefts. He said recent reports on snatch thefts had affected the country's image as a tourist destination but his ministry was undertaking "damage control" including directing its foreign office personnel to issue statements that the police were handling the situation well.
"I have just returned from the Middle East and the Minister (Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad) is in China trying to draw more tourists here," he said.
Acting British High Commissioner Mark Canning said British tourists appeared to be unaffected by the publicity on snatch thefts in Malaysia.
"There are street crimes everywhere in the world. The ones taking place in Malaysia are still very much under control.
"In fact, the High Commission has received an influx of inquiries on holiday destinations available in Malaysia," he said.
Canning said more tourists from the United Kingdom were expected to arrive in Malaysia since the region had been declared free from SARS.
He said the arrivals were expected to return to 250,000 compared with 239,294 last year.
He said Malaysia Airlines' new direct flight to London via Penang and Langkawi would also contribute to increased arrivals.
"Malaysia has always been one of the favourite destinations among the British. "The services offered by Malaysia Airlines have created new gateways that would encourage more tourists from the United Kingdom to come here," he said after opening the new UK visa processing centre here. |
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World Islamic Tourism Mart / Malaysia
WITM 2012 InCoMTHU Conference will feature quality and world renown speakers not only from Malaysia but from around the globe. In its 6th Year, the WITM InCoMTHU Conference 2012 will have speakers fro (16/05/2012)
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