With fewer Singaporeans visiting Malaysia, a new approach is needed to attract tourists from the Republic, Malaysian Tourism Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said.
The number of Singaporeans visiting Malaysia fell 8.6 per cent in the first three months of this year, Mr Nazri said at the opening of the Travel Malaysian Fair on Friday morning (Oct 16).
The overall number for the year is likely to see a similar decline. Mr Nazri cited several reasons for the dip.
"Sometimes it's (difficult) for those who travel by land, when they (have to) go to the Causeway or The Second Link, especially on long weekends," said Mr Nazri. "Some might just not bother (coming) because it's too much of a hassle."
He also cited the haze, which has been plaguing the region: "The other reason (is probably) the haze we’ve been experiencing from the last four to five months. People have been staying indoors. Not only Singaporeans are affected but Malaysians are also affected.”
Another possible reason, said Mr Nazri, was fatigue from the Visit Malaysia 2014 campaign, which saw a bumper crop of tourist arrivals. A total of 13.9 million Singapore tourists visited Malaysia last year, making it Malaysia’s top market for tourist arrivals.
Mr Nazri said he is confident that numbers will pick up. For example, the weakening of the ringgit could be good as it may help to draw more visitors to the country, he said.
With more modes of transportation available, it will also be easier for Singaporeans to visit Malaysia, he said. These include the daily train shuttle service by KTM Berhad between JB Sentral and Woodlands that operates seven times a day, and the introduction of four weekly Tigerair flights from Singapore to Ipoh last May as well as daily flights by Malindo Air to Ipoh since July this year.
The Malaysian tourism ministry will be focusing its efforts on positioning Ipoh and Perak as preferred travel destinations for Singaporeans, with ecotourism packages and tours for durian lovers, Mr Nazri said.
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