SHAPE UP OR SHAPE OUT

Last night at the MATTA 37th anniversary dinner, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen urged tour operators to provide excellent service or face action. 

She said from January to May this year, the Ministry received 100 complaints with 75 involving tour operators. This is a clear warning from the Tourism Minister who would like to see tourism players shape up or be shaped out.

 Meanwhile parents should encourage their children to take up travel and tourism as the industry is growing at an unprecedented pace. Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Dr Victor Wee said as the sector continued to expand, more experts in specific areas would be needed.  

The industry has grown five-fold in the past 14 years in terms of tourist arrivals and revenue, with 24.7 million tourists bringing in RM58.3bil last year. “With the way the tourism industry is growing, we need more specialists and experts. There are so many different areas to go into from hotels to tour agencies to the culinary arts,” he said.  

Dr Wee said the industry currently employed 1.8 million people about 16% of the country's workforce.