Putrajaya wants 30 million visitors for the year 2020.Malaysia tried to host a concert for a world-class performing artist.
The people who are protesting are just the minority. We should cater to the majority, but they should also make their voices heard. The group of activists who protest is trying to show they are the majority in Malaysia when they are not. Among the artists who have encountered protests upon announcing a planned concert in Malaysia include Beyonce, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Elton John.
In 2018, Malaysia attracted 25.8 million tourist arrivals with a tourism revenue of RM84.1 billion (S$27.84 billion). Malaysia is also ranked 21 in the United Nations World Tourism Organisation 2019 Barometer Report. In 2017, the tourism industry contributed 14.9 per cent to the national economy compared to 10.4 per cent in 2005.
The number of people employed in the tourism industry also increased to 3.4 million in 2017 from 1.5 million in 2005, making up 23.2 per cent of the total labour force.
The Pakatan Harapan government has also unveiled the new Visit Malaysia 2020 logo, replacing the old one commissioned by the previous Barisan National administration which was heavily criticised for its amateurish design. The new logo, inspired by recognisable icons of Malaysia such as the hornbill and hibiscus, was launched by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The logo was selected from among 586 entries submitted in a competition between March 11 to 24.
“The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and Tourism Malaysia when inviting Malaysians to participate in the logo creation of the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign intended to remind everyone that this is a national campaign that requires the participation and support of everyone, whether they are directly involved in the tourism industry or not.
“Malaysians have to realise that the success of this campaign will benefit everyone as spillover from the tourist industry spreads to all businesses and industries,” Dr Mahathir said in his opening speech. The tagline for the campaign “Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020” was said to have been the brainchild of Dr Mahathir.
On a separate question during the press conference where it was asked if certain groups protesting against concerts and events by international artistes here could affect tourist arrival, Dr Mahathir said such objection had only come from the minority.
In 2018, 25.8 million tourists visited the country, and Malaysia secured 15th place among countries with the highest number of tourist arrivals.
