In her usual style of making sweeping statements, Tourism Minister Dato Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen said because of the illegal street demonstrations, her ministry now had to do extra work to ensure tourist arrivals were not affected.
What she is trying to say here is that more money is needed to do this.
"For us, our job now is to immediately address all concerns as well as negative comments and ensure that Malaysia's tourism industry will continue to flourish," she told reporters after launching the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism (MCAT) 2011, here today. "You cannot deny that there is definitely an economic impact for all sectors, for us, we need to ensure the tourism industry is not affected and that the world is not thinking that demonstrations are part of our daily lives," she said.
Thus, she believed that with appropriate campaigning, international tourist arrivals would stabilize in a short period.
Meanwhile, on the MCAT which will last three months, Ng said it was organised for the second time after receiving an overwhelming response when it was first held last year. "We recorded 42,000 visitors and about RM14 million in art sales last year," she said, adding that the event will also give local artists and painters much exposure.
Compared to last year, she said this year's event was bigger with 16 events being organised in seven states namely Kedah, Penang, Melaka, Johor, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak. Other than that, she said it was also participated by several shopping complexes in the city besides 100 art galleries.
"It is our hope that Malaysia will be widely recognised as a reputable destination for art enthusiasts in the region soon," she added.
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