JOHOR BARU: The state government will be working closely with Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) to introduce 50 unique packages promoting places of interest in Johor.
Johor Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumerism Committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong said the packages would be drawn up based on tourism segments to meet the expectations of domestic and foreign tourists.
“We have appointed Johor MATTA as our strategic partner as we want to get their 200-plus members to give feedback and suggestions on the packages.
“These new packages would be a guideline to make it easier for industry players to promote places of interest in Johor, based on the needs of their customers,” he added.
He stressed that such initiatives were important as each tourist, either local or international, had different needs when they visited the state.
“We could not offer the same packages to every tourist because each of them want different things so it is good if we have many options for them to choose from.
“It must include the number of days these tourists are staying and where they want to go – either to our islands, resorts or theme parks – as all this will be put into the new packages,” he added.
Tee pointed out that Johor was no longer just a transit point for travellers but a top tourism destination.
He added that Johor has seen a steady increase in tourist arrivals since 2013 with the tourism sector now playing a key role in the state’s economic development.
“The Department of Statistics listed Johor as Malaysia’s top domestic tourism destination in 2016 with 7.4 million domestic tourist arrivals and the Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) also awarded Tourism Johor with the best domestic tourism promotion award last year.
“Tourism Malaysia statistics also show that Johor is ranked third in terms of attracting foreign tourists in the country, with 2.6 million international tourists visiting in 2016.
Tee further noted that Senai International Airport had recorded three million passengers last year compared with just 1.99 million passengers in 2013, adding that Johor wais now connected by air to 11 domestic cities in Malaysia and eight international cities – Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta, Surabaya, Guangzhou, Macao, Kolkata and Seoul.
Picture credit to The Star Online.