TOURISM is a sector which has flourished post-pandemic and can generate up to 10 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP).
However, there is a need now to progress into an in-depth form of tourism which is more sustainable and meaningful rather than purely the commercial - driven or conventional ones, said former Tourism Minister Tan Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen.
She said that Malaysia must now prepare for research-driven tourism where tourists want to learn how to weave a basket rather than just buy it as a souvenir, or cook delectable dishes rather than just taste it in restaurants.
“Welcome to the new age of tourism where tourists now want to experience more insightful accounts of their vacations rather than just browse through tourism attractions taking selfies or you-tubing videos of their trips,” Ng said.
Tourism is a lucrative sector and is now one out of 10 jobs in the leisure field, but at the same time simply getting a crowd or horde of visitors is unsustainable, she said.
She said there is a grave need to provide a niche in tourism where tourists from younger ages get to access know-how rather than skim the surface of tourism products in gastronomy, culture, heritage and retail elements.
Ng said this at the opening of the three-day Fourth World Research Travel Conference (WRTC) at the Setia SPICE convention centre.
This is the first time that WRTC is held outside China. Ng is the honorary president of WRTC and heads the Malaysian chapter of it.
State executive councillor for tourism, Wong Hon Wai, who launched the conference, said that Penang is looking into providing in-depth tourism where visitors can learn how to prepare its world-renowned street food and learn more about its history as well as its diverse heritage and culture facets.
Wong said that Penang is looking to collaborate with WRTC to use the China experience as a reference in building up more quality tourism products and services.
This will enhance the state's standing as a preferred tourism destination regionally, he said.
WRTC chairman Franz Wolfgang Eder said that the current conventional norms of tourism where numbers are preferred is unsustainable and it would soon lead to a decay in tourism unless there is a change in how the sector is valued.
Wolfgang is regarded as a father of geo-parks, a Unesco certification for conserving and preserving the geology of hills and mountains.
China has the most number of Unesco-certified global geo-parks in the world with 47. - November 5, 2024.
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