TOURISM MINISTER TO EXPLAIN FLU CONTROL MEASURES

KLANG (Malaysia), July 9 (Bernama) -- Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen will
travel to China to explain the real situation about the Influenza A(H1N1)
outbreak in Malaysia and stress that the country was safe and there was
stringent monitoring at entry points into this country.

She said fear of the swine flu had led to some reduction in tourist arrivals
into the country and it was very noticebale among tourists from China and Japan.

"The Chinese market every year around this time in July would be making
bookings for October. Many of the tour operators have reported a drop in forward
bookings by 50 percent," she told reporters at the launch of the Klang
Commercial Athletic Club, here Wednesday.

Dr Ng said she would in a few days time be travelling to five large cities
in China, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Shenzen and Guangzhou where most
Chinese tourists to Malaysia came from.

She also said the tourism industry must address the quality of local tourism
products like public toilets and your guides.

Dr Ng said her ministry planned to built toilets and privatise them to be
run and maintained by micro entrepreneurs like single mothers and the low income
group, adding that they did not need much capital to maintain the cleanliness
of the facilities and could charge 20 to 30 sen for use and the money collected
would their earnings.

She said she had received complaints that some Malaysian tourist guides
were untidy in their appearance and did not wear the collared batik shirt as
required by the tour guide license conditions issued by the ministry.
-- BERNAMA