EVERY time I am abroad, I take note of the tourism potential of the country I am visiting. When I return home, what I had seen abroad reinforces my belief that Tourism Malaysia is not doing enough to promote Malaysia as a value-for-money holiday destination.

There are many things we can highlight to tourists with a media blitz, but fail to do so.

Malaysia offers among the cheapest hotel rates in the region, even perhaps in the world. But little publicity is given to this strong pull factor. In comparison to other countries in Asia, where the five-star hotel rates are between US$250 and US$300 (RM900 and RM1,080) per day, the daily room rates for five-star hotels in Malaysia average US$130 to US$300. Many of these countries also practise discrimination between locals and foreigners.

Even the cost of restaurant meals is much lower in Malaysia than in many other countries. Recently, while on holiday in a neighbouring country, I went to an ordinary restaurant with a friend for a meal which cost around RM69. The same meal in a restaurant in Bangsar, which is considered to be high-end area in Kuala Lumpur, would cost around RM25.

The warmth and hospitality advertised by that country is indeed a charade. For, though the country brags about its friendly people, I was greeted with a stern look by the Customs and Immigration officers at the airport. At least our men and women in uniform at airports offer a smile to most inbound travellers.

During my visit to one tourist attraction, a sign was conspicuously displayed that said foreigners had to pay RM35 as entrance fee, while for locals it was free of charge. I think it is very offensive to so openly discriminate against foreigners. In Malaysia, we don’t treat our guests in such a manner.

English should be a selling point for our tourism promotions. Most people in Malaysia, even those who cannot communicate well, can at least understand the rudiments of the language.

In many developed and developing countries, where English is not the national language, the majority of the population can hardly communicate with English-speaking tourists.

Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak have so many hidden treasures yet to be discovered. As a Malaysian, I, too, have not visited many of these treasures. Why? Because not enough publicity is being given by the print and electronic media to these tourist attractions.

The media has an important role in promoting domestic tourism, especially during school holidays. Therefore, Tourism Malaysia should work together with the media to promote these destinations among local tourists.

Source: NST – July 3, 2009