MALAYSIA NEEDS TO DO MORE TO ATTRACT INDONESIAN TOURISTS

By Mohd Nasir Yusoff

JAKARTA, Dec 24 (Bernama) - Malaysia needs to introduce new tourist
destinations and activities to retain the number of tourists from Indonesia,
said Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia, Zainal Abidin Mohamed Zin.

He said Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board should aggressively promote the
new destinations and activities to draw repeat visitors from the
republic.

"We not only want to retain the 2.17 million tourists we had until
November, but we would like to increase the number to 2.35 million, which is a
target set by the Tourism Ministry for 2009," he told Bernama at a farewell
function for Malaysian Tourism Director for Indonesia, Halim Saruji, here
Tuesday.

Zainal said among the ideas that could be implemented were issuing shopping
vouchers so that Indonesian tourists who planned to stay in Malaysia several
days would bring their families.

"We can give other incentives and it will not be a loss to us because
tourists who feel happy and appreciated will keep coming back and also recommend
Malaysia to others," he said.

Zainal said the move was in tandem with the global economic downturn, where
more attention would be given to the services sector as it is one of
Malaysia's profitable industries.

-- BERNAMA