MELAKA – The Melaka government is targeting 8.2 million visitors this year after recording the arrival of more than 6 million tourists in 2022.
State Tourism, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis said there was a 126.76% increase in tourist arrivals last year compared to 2.6 million people for the same period in 2021.
“Of the total, 5.6 million were domestic tourists while 406,517 were foreign visitors. This year, we will further intensify events, promotions and interesting packages to further revitalise the tourism sector and improve the state’s economic growth.
“To achieve our target, the government will also implement various incentives through Tourism Melaka, including providing RM200,000 in incentives for travelling agents who bring visitors to tourism locations owned by the state government,” he said.
He announced this at a ceremony with Melaka tourism industry players and the launching of the 2023 Melaka Tourism Event Calendar in Ayer Keroh, which was also attended by Tourism Promotion Division general manager Sa’ari Basiron.
Elaborating, Jailani said that in a bid to boost tourism activities, the state government also planned to implement 64 tourism events throughout the year, with 13 of them being the main attractions.
Among them are the Raptor Watch, Melaka International Formula Jetski Championship 2023, Asean International Regatta 2023, Our Heritage Carnival, Melaka Durian Fest, Melaka International Air Carnival and other programmes. – Bernama, January 20, 2023
