BANGKOK – Tourism Malaysia’s first sales mission to Thailand is expected to help reconnect with the Thai market to support the tourism sector’s sustainable recovery after the Covid-19 hiatus.
The sales mission led by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri in two major cities, Bangkok and the southern province of Songkhla, began on Monday and wraps up today. The tourism fraternity consists of Malaysia-based airlines, travel agents, hoteliers and product owners.
Nancy said the sales mission would offer insights on Malaysia’s latest tourist attractions and future developments as well as make new contacts with tourism industry players in Thailand.
“We hope it (sales mission) will create new partnerships to attract more Thais to choose Malaysia as their vacation destination… We are not only close to each other as neighbouring countries, but Malaysia is also a value-for-money destination.
“This is an excellent opportunity for us not only to reconnect but to also reinvigorate the tourism industry together as we look forward to a sustainable recovery, especially in the Asean region,” she said at the networking dinner in conjunction with the sales mission here last night.
Also present were Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Zainuddin Abdul Wahab and Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel.
Thailand is one of Malaysia’s essential short-haul markets. In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 1,884,306 arrivals from Thailand and almost 70% of Thai tourists were repeat travellers. Thai travellers come to Malaysia for holiday, shopping, and to visit friends and relatives.
Nancy said the most visited states by Thais include Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, and Pahang. Nancy said Malaysia aims to attract 800,000 Thai tourists this year.
“We want to see Thais top the tourist arrival numbers in Malaysia. At present, Thailand ranks second, after Singapore.
“After a two-year Covid-19 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 the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak. Thus, we hope to attract more international travellers to explore those,” she said.
Nancy said the tourism industry has been a significant contributor to the economy in Malaysia. In 2019, tourism contributed 15.9% to Malaysia’s economy and supported 3.6 million jobs, which made up 23.6% of the total workforce in the country. – Bernama, August 19, 2022
