PETALING JAYA: Allocations for tourism must be increased in Budget 2024 and focus given to promoting legal tourism businesses and cracking down on the bad apples, says Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Nigel Wong.
“At least RM1bil must be put towards promotions, product development, tourist incentives and an extension of matching grant programmes such as the Malaysian Tourism Incentive Fund (Gamelan) and Tourism Sector Matching Grant (GSSP).
“This would enable industry stakeholders to participate in trade shows and programmes designed to promote and bring foreign tourists into the country,” he said when contacted.
He said the funding needed for tourism infrastructure development and operating budgets for the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and Tourism Malaysia should be kept separate.
Wong also stressed that regulations and enforcement under the Tourism Industry Act need to be updated to ensure legal tourism operators remain competitive amid the growing number of unlicensed businesses.
“We hope to see more allocations towards active enforcement of the Act, especially on illegal or unlicensed entities that have been left to proliferate.
“These include unlicensed travel agents and tour operators, illegal accommodation providers and unlicensed transport operators that have been reportedly growing in numbers ever since the tourism industry began its resurgence last year following the endemic phase of the Covid-19 pandemic,” he added.
Only RM1.2bil or 0.31% of Budget 2023’s total RM372.3bil allocation was set aside for the ministry.
The ministry’s allocation was the third smallest in Budget 2023.
