The Tourism Ministry of Malaysia announced that they will prepare a new National Tourism Action Plan which will underline development of the industry from 2011 to 2020. Its Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the ministry had also appointed a world class consulting company to advise them on the matter.
“We welcome any suggestions that can make our country more popular in the tourism world,” she told reporters after attending a dialogue with Langkawi tourism industry players on Monday.
Meanwhile, she said the ministry was in the midst of taking action on 15 illegal tourist guide and travel agencies here. “We will not let them continue their operations illegally because it can tarnish the country’s good image,” she said.
Earlier in the dialogue, Dr Ng said the federal government had never let political differences hamper the tourism development especially in the Opposition-led states.
“While the government is spending a lot of money to provide the best infrastructure to attract foreign tourists, services offered by the industry players are still disappointing,” she said.
She also reiterated that tourist arrivals to Langkawi had declined by 16 per cent from 3.4 million in 2007 to just 2.8 million last year. “The tourist arrivals at the national level, however, had increased by five per cent from 20.9 million in 2007 to 22 million in 2008,” she said.
The minister also said that although Malaysia was affected by the global economic downturn and the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, efforts to promote the country was still ongoing.
Malaysia Tourism Promotion with Formula 1 Support?
The government has allocated RM1 million for former Ferrari Formula One team boss Jean Todt to spend over two years as Malaysia’s Tourism ambassador.
But Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen said no disbursements have been made since his appointment in May. The MCA vice president also denied that Todt has been given any land in Terengganu as part of the deal.
“As far as I know, Todt does not own any land in Terengganu,” she said. PKR vice president Azmin Ali caused a stir this morning when he demanded a full disclosure of the deal with Todt and his fiancée, Malaysian actress Datuk Michelle Yeoh, claiming that almost RM1 million had already been spent on the Frenchman.
Ng, however, said that the figures the Gombak MP had quoted were untrue as Todt was serving on a voluntary basis and the government was only covering his travel expenses in the course of promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination. “One million in Europe gets you nothing nowadays,” she said, defending the appointment.
Comment:
If Jean Todt really is a volunteer and will support Malaysia’s tourism industry for free, the Malaysians can consider themselves lucky, because Mr Todt is an international VIP. With his connections, he can help effectively – as he has already done in Paris, where he connected the Ministry with many important contacts.
Jean Todt is also about to be boss of Formular One and, in succeeding Max Mosley, is bound to bring a fresh breeze to the association – another great opportunity to support Malaysia.
If he were to get paid for his services as “Ambassador for Malaysia Tourism”, the Ministry would not likely have enough of a budget for him. Not only was he dealing with a budget in the millions as Ferrari Team Leader – as a private person, too, he has enough money to live in luxury!
New Malaysia Tourism Action Plan 2011-2020 with Jean Todt?
by Joachim Fischer
The Tourism Ministry of Malaysia announced that they will prepare a new National Tourism Action Plan which will underline development of the industry from 2011 to 2020. Its Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the ministry had also appointed a world class consulting company to advise them on the matter.
“We welcome any suggestions that can make our country more popular in the tourism world,” she told reporters after attending a dialogue with Langkawi tourism industry players on Monday.
Meanwhile, she said the ministry was in the midst of taking action on 15 illegal tourist guide and travel agencies here. “We will not let them continue their operations illegally because it can tarnish the country’s good image,” she said.
Earlier in the dialogue, Dr Ng said the federal government had never let political differences hamper the tourism development especially in the Opposition-led states.
“While the government is spending a lot of money to provide the best infrastructure to attract foreign tourists, services offered by the industry players are still disappointing,” she said.
She also reiterated that tourist arrivals to Langkawi had declined by 16 per cent from 3.4 million in 2007 to just 2.8 million last year. “The tourist arrivals at the national level, however, had increased by five per cent from 20.9 million in 2007 to 22 million in 2008,” she said.
The minister also said that although Malaysia was affected by the global economic downturn and the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, efforts to promote the country was still ongoing.
Malaysia Tourism Promotion with Formula 1 Support?
The government has allocated RM1 million for former Ferrari Formula One team boss Jean Todt to spend over two years as Malaysia’s Tourism ambassador.
But Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen said no disbursements have been made since his appointment in May. The MCA vice president also denied that Todt has been given any land in Terengganu as part of the deal.
“As far as I know, Todt does not own any land in Terengganu,” she said. PKR vice president Azmin Ali caused a stir this morning when he demanded a full disclosure of the deal with Todt and his fiancée, Malaysian actress Datuk Michelle Yeoh, claiming that almost RM1 million had already been spent on the Frenchman.
Ng, however, said that the figures the Gombak MP had quoted were untrue as Todt was serving on a voluntary basis and the government was only covering his travel expenses in the course of promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination. “One million in Europe gets you nothing nowadays,” she said, defending the appointment.
Comment:
If Jean Todt really is a volunteer and will support Malaysia’s tourism industry for free, the Malaysians can consider themselves lucky, because Mr Todt is an international VIP. With his connections, he can help effectively – as he has already done in Paris, where he connected the Ministry with many important contacts.
Jean Todt is also about to be boss of Formular One and, in succeeding Max Mosley, is bound to bring a fresh breeze to the association – another great opportunity to support Malaysia.
If he were to get paid for his services as “Ambassador for Malaysia Tourism”, the Ministry would not likely have enough of a budget for him. Not only was he dealing with a budget in the millions as Ferrari Team Leader – as a private person, too, he has enough money to live in luxury!
