LETTERS: Tourism Malaysia has released the foreign tourist arrival figures for the second quarter of this year.
It is no surprise that the numbers remain largely the same as in the corresponding period last year.
From April to June this year, the number of foreign tourists who visited and stayed for at least one night totalled 25,357 compared with 19,542 last year. These figures exclude foreigners who entered our country, but did not stay overnight.
In contrast, 6,658,345 foreign tourists visited Malaysia in the second quarter of 2019 and stayed an average of 7.4 nights.
From 2012 to 2019, an average of 6,517,054 foreign tourists visited Malaysia every three months or more than 26 million a year.
To return to such high numbers may take a decade or even longer if the odds are stacked against us.
While external challenges may be beyond our control, internal impediments are self-inflicted. We should not forget that the greatest asset of our nation is the spirit of our people.
While we have the sun, sand and sea to offer tourists, so have many tropical countries around the world, including our Asean neighbours, that are competing for the same tourists.
Blessedly, Malaysians are naturally friendly and ever helpful, particularly to foreign tourists. But, some can also be rude without being aware of it.
Hence, tourism frontliners are trained on interpersonal communication skills under Mesra Malaysia, a programme organised by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
Trainees get to learn that without showing courtesy, there is no customer service. However, if policies are deemed hostile by foreigners, that would deter foreign visitors, investors, students and retirees to our country.
Those who participate in the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) are our best ambassadors and their influence ripple far and wide.
Although 53.4 per cent of foreign tourists to Malaysia come for holidays, the main purpose of some 25.5 per cent is to visit friends and relatives.
This was the reason why on average more than 6.6 million foreign tourists visited Malaysia annually during the nine-year period from 2012 to 2019.
But the number will possibly be lesser in the coming years with fewer MM2H participants along with
their family members and foreign students.
It could become worse if an increasing number of foreigners doing business here and multinationals decide to relocate to other countries.
If so, any promotion to draw foreign tourists and investments to our shores would be like swimming against the tide.
Our people are tourist-friendly, so our policies must be in sync to compete for the foreign tourists that are being wooed by other countries.
Y.S. CHAN
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times