KUALA LUMPUR – Racial and religious rhetoric used by politicians scare tourists away and, in turn, affect the national economy, said the tourism arts and culture minister.
“Based on feedback received from tourists from China, racial remarks by certain Perikatan Nasional leaders have made them fickle about coming here.
“It’s time certain politicians stopped resorting to racial and religious issues for everything,” said Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing in his winding-up speech for the 12th Malaysia Plan midterm review in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said his ministry had invited MPs to attend meetings and provide their input on how to boost tourism, but many did not attend.
He said tourism in the country was greatly impacted when countries shut their borders during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We only reopened our doors to foreign tourists in April 2022 and till August this year, there have been 12.17 million tourists this year.
“We are targeting about 16.1 million foreign visitors this year,” he said. – The Vibes, September 19, 2023
