Malaysia’s Ministry for Tourism and Culture published the country’s new plans regarding the development of the tourism industry. In 2018, Malaysia welcomed 25.8 million international tourist arrivals, and the ministry plans to increase this number to 30 million. The total tourist receipts are expected to increase to RM100bn or 21.66 billion euro by 2020. With the growing popularity of the country, there may be a need for new hotels in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and other popular destinations.
The ministry is currently developing the new Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign that may be presented at ITB Berlin, a popular exhibition that will take place in the capital of Germany on 6-10 March 2019. It will be another opportunity for the exotic destination to boost its popularity and support the ambitious growth plans. According to Mohamaddin Bin Haji Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture for Malaysia, cultural uniqueness is the key to the popularity of Malaysia on the European market. Many cultures were mixed in Malaysia, including Malay, India, Chinese, and with some influences from Europe and the Arab world.
The country’s spectacular nature, authentic architecture, interesting cuisine, and welcoming people are the keys to success that make Malaysia a must visit destination in Southeast Asia. It will help the country create more jobs and boost its earnings. In 2017, 3.4 million people were working in the tourism sector in Malaysia. This is a huge gain from 1.5 million employees in the industry in 2005. Roughly 23% of the total country’s employment works in tourism. In 2005, only 15% of the total employment was involved in tourism. Only retail trade (33.7%) and food & beverage serving (32.3%) provide more jobs to Malaysians.
Tourism may also help local communities in Malaysia. For example, the country’s Homestay Program allows people from smaller villages offering their homes to tourists to provide authentic local experiences. In 2017, this program helped local communities to earn as much as 5.98 million euro. Last year, 372,475 domestic and foreign tourists participated in this homestay program.
As the popularity of Malaysia is growing, more hoteliers and big projects come to the country. Desaru Coast hotel in Johor and Impression City in Malacca are just some of the anticipated projects that will bring even more tourists to the country. Such brands as Hilton, Sheraton, Anantara, Double Tree, St. Regis, Hyatt, Four Seasons, Westin, W, Mercure, and many more already have hotels open in different destinations across Malaysia.