November 10, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Things are not going so well for Kedah if you judge from the declining number of tourist arrivals to the state since 2008. This is according to a news report in which Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen disclosed that statistic showed that the number of tourist arrivals in the state dropped from 4.5 million in 2007 to 3.8 million in 2008 and 2009 and 2.7 million in 2010. This decline is quite surprising, as the state has one of the most recognisable tourist destinations of the country, Langkawi.
There is more to Kedah than just Langkawi, so come and discover its hidden attractions
The emphasis on Langkawi as one of Malaysia’s important tourist destinations can be clearly seen with the allocation of RM420 million to develop infrastructure in Langkawi in the recent 2012 Budget. Does the decline in tourist arrivals in Kedah mean that Langkawi is somehow declining or should the state consider promoting other tourism products that are related to Kedah?
What do YOU think?
Read the full article below:
The Tourism Ministry is concerned over the declining number of tourist arrivals to Kedah since 2008, Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.
She said statistics showed that the number of tourist arrivals in the state dropped from 4.5 million in 2007 to 3.8 million in 2008 and 2009 and 2.7 million in 2010.
The number of foreign tourist arrivals decreased from 1.8 million in 2007 to 1.6 million in 2008, increased slightly to 1.9 million in 2009 but dropped to 1.1 million in 2010, she said.
“Malaysia had 23 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2009, which increased to 24.6 million last year. However, they chose to visit other states such as Sabah instead of Kedah.
“There is more to Kedah than just Langkawi Island. The state government can promote other tourism products like the padi museum and the cultural village centre which must be cared for and maintained,” she said after visiting the Kedah State Art Gallery, here.
Dr Ng said she hoped that the state government will continue to review Kedah’s tourism industry because it was a beneficial economic activity for taxi drivers, restaurants, shopping malls and hotels.
In the 2012 Budget tabled recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced an allocation of RM420 million to develop infrastructure in Langkawi as it is one of the most important tourism products in Malaysia, she said.
Dr Ng said her ministry was in the midst of discussions with a Russian airline to have direct flights from that country to Langkawi in the hope of attracting more tourists to the resort island.
She said 2010 statistics showed that 600,000 Russian tourists visited Thailand but only 37,000 came to Malaysia.
“By year-end, I expect a flight from eastern Russia to fly tourists straight to Langkawi and the ministry is more than willing to provide assistance on this,” she added.
Source: Bernama
Kedah Declining
November 10, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Things are not going so well for Kedah if you judge from the declining number of tourist arrivals to the state since 2008. This is according to a news report in which Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen disclosed that statistic showed that the number of tourist arrivals in the state dropped from 4.5 million in 2007 to 3.8 million in 2008 and 2009 and 2.7 million in 2010. This decline is quite surprising, as the state has one of the most recognisable tourist destinations of the country, Langkawi.
There is more to Kedah than just Langkawi, so come and discover its hidden attractions
The emphasis on Langkawi as one of Malaysia’s important tourist destinations can be clearly seen with the allocation of RM420 million to develop infrastructure in Langkawi in the recent 2012 Budget. Does the decline in tourist arrivals in Kedah mean that Langkawi is somehow declining or should the state consider promoting other tourism products that are related to Kedah?
What do YOU think?
Read the full article below:
The Tourism Ministry is concerned over the declining number of tourist arrivals to Kedah since 2008, Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said.
She said statistics showed that the number of tourist arrivals in the state dropped from 4.5 million in 2007 to 3.8 million in 2008 and 2009 and 2.7 million in 2010.
The number of foreign tourist arrivals decreased from 1.8 million in 2007 to 1.6 million in 2008, increased slightly to 1.9 million in 2009 but dropped to 1.1 million in 2010, she said.
“Malaysia had 23 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2009, which increased to 24.6 million last year. However, they chose to visit other states such as Sabah instead of Kedah.
“There is more to Kedah than just Langkawi Island. The state government can promote other tourism products like the padi museum and the cultural village centre which must be cared for and maintained,” she said after visiting the Kedah State Art Gallery, here.
Dr Ng said she hoped that the state government will continue to review Kedah’s tourism industry because it was a beneficial economic activity for taxi drivers, restaurants, shopping malls and hotels.
In the 2012 Budget tabled recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced an allocation of RM420 million to develop infrastructure in Langkawi as it is one of the most important tourism products in Malaysia, she said.
Dr Ng said her ministry was in the midst of discussions with a Russian airline to have direct flights from that country to Langkawi in the hope of attracting more tourists to the resort island.
She said 2010 statistics showed that 600,000 Russian tourists visited Thailand but only 37,000 came to Malaysia.
“By year-end, I expect a flight from eastern Russia to fly tourists straight to Langkawi and the ministry is more than willing to provide assistance on this,” she added.
Source: Bernama
Tags: Decline in Domestic Tourism, Kedah, langkawi, malaysia, promoting local tourism, promoting tourism, sabah, tourism indstry, tourism promotion