KUALA LUMPUR: The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry wants a bigger allocation in the 2023 Budget to market Malaysia's tourism products and activities.
Its minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said this was crucial as the country was recovering from Covid-19 pandemic.
"Many people assume that we don't have to do any promotions during the pandemic, but this is not the right mindset.
"As the country's international borders reopened (in April), we saw the number of tourist arrivals surpassing our initial target of two million," she said after attending the Anak Merdeka programme in conjunction with 65th Independence Day organised by the Arkib Negara.
She said the target was later revised to 4.5 million tourist arrivals, and further to 9.2 million by the end of the year with RM26.8 billion in tourist receipts.
While the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) had set 2024 for the tourism industry's recovery, she said the ministry would not want to depend strictly on the timeline as it might be too slow for the recovery process and efforts for Malaysia.
In supporting the industry, she said the government had given its approval to bring in some 34,000 workers from Indonesia and the Philippines for various services, such as housekeeping, massage and spa.
This, she said, was in addition to economic recovery initiatives, including grants for tourism players, which would have spillover for locals.
For the upcoming budget, she also hoped for the proposed collaboration with the Foreign Ministry, which handles cultural diplomacy, to take off.
"With such cooperation, both ministries will be able to promote Malaysia's culture actively in other countries through events and campaigns."
In an effort to promote Malaysia's traditional attire, she also hoped that a new discipline or field could be established in the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara).
Under the 2022 Budget, RM1.6 billion was allocated for tourism to help its players who were struggling during the pandemic.
Among the initiatives were the targeted wage subsidy programme, especially for tour operators who experienced a decline in revenue due to border closure.