KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism industry players are luring tourists from India, as the market had previously been overlooked in favour of the China market.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Hamzah Rahmat said the group had gone above and beyond in promoting destinations in Malaysia to China tourists.
“As far as MATTA is concerned, we have over-geared in promoting in China but we forgot one area, which is India.
“Therefore, we are taking our own members to do promotions there because Indian tourists also enjoys the same visa facility like China nationals,” he told reporters at MATTA Fair press conference today.
Hamzah said India also has a sizeable population similar to China, and as such tourism players should draw tourists from there.
“In terms of population numbers, India has it as well. People in the middle-income bracket is also a huge market due to the population base, so we should not forget about this market,” he said.
On tourist arrivals to Malaysia, Hamzah said the number had improved from last year and Sabah has become the top destination.
“From what I have gathered so far, this year is definitely better than last year in terms of arrival numbers. The state that is enjoying this the most is Sabah.
“Other states are also making great efforts to promote their destinations. I also notice that these states are going directly to other countries for promotion work,” he added.