Published on : Friday, May 17, 2019
Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi stated that the tourism sector contributed RM84.1 billion to the national economy last year, going up by 2.4 per cent compared to RM82.2 billion the previous year.
Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals last year, finding its place among the major tourism destinations of the world.
With 2020 announced as ‘Visit Malaysia Year’, the tourism industry has again taken centre stage as a national mission and a major catalyst for ensuring that Malaysia remains competitive. Visit Malaysia 2020 is predicted to bring in 30 million international tourists and RM100 billion in tourist receipts to the country.
Professor Marcus Lee Stephenson, the Dean of the School of Hospitality at Sunway University, said that tourism in Malaysia is geographically, ecologically, culturally and socially diverse.
For tourism to flourish, investments are needed in the form of construction of hotels and tourism resorts and in the expansion of the events industry. Also, programmes in hospitality, events and tourism management are required for the expansion of the tourism industry.
Various universities in Malaysia offer tourism-related programmes.
Taylor’s University, for example, offers various levels of programmes in tourism from diploma and bachelor’s to master’s and doctoral level. Postgraduate programmes are offered through research mode and the rest are taught courses.
Tags: malaysia, tourism destinations