The ministry revised its previous target of 2m visitors after it had recently received about 2.3m global entries

by NURUL SUHAIDI / pic TMR FILE

THE Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) has revised and set a new target of tourist arrivals at 4.5 million with tourism revenue of RM11.1 billion this year.

This came after the country had recently exceeded its initial target of two million visitors for the year, receiving a total of about 2.3 million global entries.

Motac Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said tourism has been signalling a strong recovery and she was optimistic about the new target.

“Other countries such as India and Saudi Arabia have shown interest in our country and this number will continue to grow, especially when more countries ease their travel restrictions.

“This month alone, we have received 25,000 arrivals from India,” she said during the launch of the Tourism Recovery Framework 2.0 (TRF2.0) in Kuala Lumpur today.

To continue the recovery momentum, TRF 2.0 is a continuation and improved version of the TRF 1.0 by Motac and industry players through the Tourism Productivity Nexus (TPN) platform.

“The strategy is continuously changing, and it is critical to constantly review and include industry participants to ensure no one is left behind, particularly major drivers and players,” Nancy added.

Through TRF 2.0, Motac will shift its focus on increasing national income, promoting smart international and national collaboration, and empowering local communities as opposed to survival and border reopening.

TRF 2.0 also takes into account the issues and recommendations of industry players through the TPN memorandum for further implementation.

The framework is underpinned by five key pillars — supporting the rehabilitation of tourism and culture business, restoring the confidence of international tourists, reinventing tourism products and services, and long-term resilience and crisis readiness.

“As the country continues to recover, we want to ensure our actions are balanced, not just in terms of capital growth, but also improving the socioeconomic status of businesses and environmental sustainability,” Nancy said.

She added that close cooperation between industry players, local communities, NGOs and government is also essential to achieve these goals.

“It is hoped that TRF 2.0 can re-drive the tourism sector to recovery,” she said.

In achieving similar goals, Motac gathered 250 tourism industry players nationwide in a “Tourism Dialogue Session” to get their feedback and views on the current tourism development.

At the dialogue session, among the suggestions made included improving licensing and enforcement, and human resource development for the industry.

According to Nancy, as of May, Motac has distributed a total of RM23.8 million financial aid to 15,000 tourism industry businesses and agencies.