Tourism industry hampered by lack of actual figures

KUALA LUMPUR: Lack of “actual” figures and outdated statistics may be hindering the growth of the tourism industry, said Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Training and Education Centre chief executive officer Yap Lip Seng.

“We do not have actual tourism figures.

“It was announced that we had about 26 million tourist arrivals last year, about 3.5 per cent down from the previous year.

“This year, we’re targeting 33.1 million tourists.

“Of last year’s 26 million figure, 13 million were Singaporeans. This leaves us with a big question mark. We are not sure if they were actual tourists.”

In the Tourism Ministry’s registrar, there were some 3,400 registered hotels, but portals had listings for at least 8,000, he added.

“The balance of those numbers is unregistered. While the ministry is trying its best to get hotels to register, it’s not happening yet.

“Airbnb has about 17,000 listings. In the city centre itself, there are about 5,000 listings. But these accommodations are unaccounted for.

“So, do we know where we are in terms of tourism rating? Do we know how good our tourism business is? We can’t answer that.”

Speaking to the New Straits Times Press at the MAH 19th charity jam session and cheque presentation at Holiday Villa Subang Jaya yesterday, Yap questioned running an industry without knowing demand and supply.

“There should be real numbers showing why people are entering the country: is it for business or conventions?

“We need these statistics because they will translate into actual tourism figures.

“As far as room rates are concerned, we are one of the lowest in the region.

“So, we need a mechanism to see how we can improve the tourism industry. There is room for improvement.

“Unfortunately, the surveys and statistics are not there, and the small sampling sizes often come too late.”