Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot (second from left) during a 'walkabout' session with the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Association (KLTA) around Little India and Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang. -Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry hopes local authorities will take immediate action to beautify tourist focal areas to ensure Kuala Lumpur's image remains attractive and ready to receive tourists for Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot said this includes repairing pedestrian walkways, lighting, and repainting faded buildings or facilities to maintain the beauty of tourist attractions like Little India, Brickfields, and Jalan Alor here.
"Small issues such as dim lights or broken cement cannot be left too long because they will eventually spoil the view and pose a danger to tourists.
"Even though they are small, if they go viral on social media, they can affect our image,” he said when met by Bernama after attending a 'walkabout' session with the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Association (KLTA) around Little India and Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang tonight. KLTA President Azhar Nadzir was also present.
The walkabout programme on Tuesday (Nov 13) aimed to assess the level of cleanliness, maintenance, and tourism appeal in major focal areas in the capital, besides obtaining direct input from the local community and traders regarding the challenges they face.
According to Shaharuddin, among the matters raised by industry representatives and traders were the need to beautify tourist routes, repair non-functional lights, and renew faded paint, in addition to improving facilities such as rest areas and tourism signboards.
He said the ministry also provides financial assistance to PBTs for upgrading tourism infrastructure, with an allocation of RM80 million distributed nationwide this year to refurbish facilities in tourist focal areas.- Bernama
