IPOH, April 2 — Interstate cooperation is needed to boost balanced tourism development and attract tourists to the country, said Tourism Malaysia deputy chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin.
He said the states should not be competitive but complement each other.
"Perak and Pahang, for instance, can jointly develop ecotourism. Perak is also near Penang and can conduct the 'sharing the resources' concept.
"So I urge all states to foster more partnerships to share the tourism industry; in fact, we also hope that private sector initiatives and agents will work together to bring tourists to other states,” he said.
Yeoh was speaking during a press conference today in conjunction with a working visit to Perak at the Hobbitoon Village in Simpang Pulai.
He added that the board will continue to monitor such efforts and channel assistance needed to each state to ensure the development of a balanced tourism sector.
Meanwhile Perak Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said they are increasing efforts to ensure tourists will stay on for several days in the state.
“The challenge is to get tourists to stay longer in Perak. Perak actually is one of the strongest in domestic tourism but we want to raise it so they do not simply go through Perak on their way between Penang and Kuala Lumpur.
"We want them to stay for more than a day in Perak. Many tourists stop over in Perak to eat, so the gastronomic sector is important but we want them to fill their time with other tourist activities,” he said.
Loh added that the state government has also partnered with Tourism Malaysia to introduce tourism areas in the state.
— Bernama
