Increase tourism? With our mindset? No chance!

 

The prime minister was recently in New York and amongst his itinerary was a dinner with the Malaysian diaspora and students there. At this function, it was reported that the PM declared that relevant ministries, including the investment, trade and industry ministry, the economy ministry, and the higher education ministry, were engaging with those who could return, and be placed at specific areas of competence to help Malaysia.

He was talking about how the government was looking into ways to attract skilled Malaysians to return and contribute to the country, in a move to address the threat of the brain drain our nation is facing now.

I think it is extremely commendable that the PM has initiated this. We all know that to be competitive in the global market, we need highly competent people.

Also, earlier this week, the opposition leader in parliament, urged the government to capitalise on the recovery of the global tourism sector and the ringgit’s depreciation to boost the nation’s travel industry. He argued that the government should not simply wait until 2026 for the Visit Malaysia campaign to commence.

Again, this is a very wise suggestion. Malaysia’s tourism promotions do not need to be delayed by two-and-a-half years. Many countries have already actively started promoting tourism to revive their economies.

Our government and opposition leaders are all wise, when it comes to offering platitudes. Of course, it will be fabulous for the nation if the brightest Malaysians return to serve the country. And, naturally, our economy will receive a tremendous boost if throngs of tourists descend to our shores.

But nobody is really asking why the tourists do not come? And, why the brightest Malaysians do not return home without serious coaxing or family pressure?

In 2015, our then prime minister wanted Langkawi to emerge as the “Monaco of the East” for high-net-worth tourists. Eight years on, our current tourism minister is lamenting that non-Muslim tourists are complaining to his ministry about being harassed by officials in Langkawi over their attire, and alcohol consumption. So much for emulating Monaco, where stylish swimwear is a must, and the champagne flows freely.

Tourists choose to travel to a country for a variety of reasons. Natural beauty, culture, architecture, gastronomy, infrastructure, landscape, events, shopping, etc. all contribute to the overall experience of their vacation. In Malaysia, we tick many of the desirable boxes for tourism.

Our natural beauty is phenomenal. The east coast of Malaysia, namely Terengganu, and parts of east Malaysia have some of the most spectacular beaches and vistas in the region. We offer a multitude of cultural experiences with our multiculturalism. Our nation stands tall and tastily proud in our gastronomical offerings, and shopping is abundantly available at every turn.

But we have a real mindset problem.

We tend to stifle tourism by telling our visitors what they can and cannot do. We police their attire and harass them for consuming beverages we may not like. And to top it off, we hide behind the veneer of our religiosity, and so-called “non-western” values.

Events like concerts get cancelled willy-nilly because of one protest or another by obscure religious groups. If there are miscreant performers, instead of dealing with the perpetrators, the government shuts down entire festivals as a punitive measure.

Why on earth will top musicians, bands, or performers risk coming to Malaysia if there is this kind of threat? So consequently, Malaysia ends up losing valuable income. And, even if the artistes do come to Malaysia, it is essentially for their local fans, and not because the tourists are jetting in from other destinations.

For example, the world-famous British rock band, Coldplay, on their “Music of the Spheres World Tour” will perform in Kuala Lumpur for one night. But conversely, they will perform in Singapore for six nights. Why is that so? Singapore’s population is much lower than ours, so it is logical that the fan base for Coldplay will also be smaller. Yet, they will perform for so many more nights there.

The rock band, or their promoters recognise that hosting the concert there for more nights will yield better results in terms of revenue, because tourists rather come to Singapore.

Singapore is cleaner; it is more efficient; their airport is far more functional; their immigration queues are well-organised; their public transportation system is excellent; their hotels (that are ironically manned by many Malaysians) offer a higher service standard; the island is dotted with many internationally acclaimed restaurants, bars, and venues; their hawker stalls make up for the lack of “our taste superiority” by being hygienically more appealing; their tourist attractions are well maintained; and there might be other musical, comedy, or theatrical events at the same time. All this makes for a heady tourism magnet.

Considering that Singapore was just a swampy mudflat that used to be part of our country, it really has grown up to be a jewel. Ever wonder why their revenue from tourism in 2022 was about US$10.2 billion, whereas ours, for the same year was only US$5.9 billion?

Malaysia has infinitely more to offer than Singapore. But where we fail is in our mindset. Perhaps someone should bring this up with the Prime Minister. It is probably the same sort of mindset that stops our best and brightest from coming home to serve. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.