‘MALAYSIA’S GEMS NEED BETTER PROMOTION’
Showcase nation’s racial and religious diversity, delicious food and culture to the world, says Mexican envoy
MALAYSIA should promote harder the varieties of food, ethnic and cultural gems it has to attract tourists from the Americas.
Terming them as Malaysian “treasures”, Mexico ambassador to Malaysia, Carlos Felix Corona, said not many tourists from North, Central and Latin America visited the country due to the lack of promotion.
He said if there were more promotions, Malaysia could compete with or eclipse the likes of Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam in increasing the number of tourists.
“Malaysia can compete with Thailand and Vietnam. You can continue with ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ slogan, but push forward the multiculturalism aspect as it is unique.
“If you go to Thailand, it is a beautiful
country with beaches, jungles, but one single culture. The same goes for Vietnam and the Philippines.
“Apart from being multicultural, this country is also multireligious and it is interesting to see the Islamic culture here, which is not well known in Latin America.
“We have not been exposed to the Islamic culture and this is why so many of my colleagues, friends and Mexicans are impressed when they come here.”
The other reason, he said, was the absence of a direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Mexico City, which, if addressed, might boost the number of tourists to Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Referring to multiculturalism, he stressed how one could visit a Hindu temple, a Chinese temple and a mosque not far from each other, something that could not be found anywhere else in the region.
He said local cuisines too did not get enough promotion.
“The food here is amazing. The Malay food, for example, there are so many and different states offer different styles of food. There are different types of laksa from one state to another.
“You have Malay, Chinese and Indian food. And that’s not including Sabah and Sarawak traditional cuisines.
“The main attraction here is multiculturalism, so local food needs better advertising to show that Malaysia is different from other countries in the region.
“If you can combine this with attractions like warm-hearted people and the fact that almost everyone here speaks English, it will attract more tourists and make it easier for them to come here.
“If you go to Vietnam or Thailand, not many can speak English.”
In March, it was reported that Tourism Malaysia had stepped up its promotions in preparation of Visit Malaysia 2020.
The tourism campaign is expected to bring in 30 million international tourists and RM100 billion in tourist receipts to the country.
Corona believed that Mexico could be an example for Malaysia to emulate as his country recorded more than 40 million international visitors last year and was the 6th most visited country in the world.
He said Malaysia’s representatives overseas, especially the embassies in the Americas, must do more promotions to highlight the country’s attractions.
As an example, he said, he himself was active in promoting Mexican food in Malaysia.
“The love of food is one thing Malaysians and Mexicans share. We celebrate food. Street food is the best, whether in Mexico or Malaysia. Now, people are going for food trucks. In a way, we are two cultures that share similar traditions.”
He said he was confident that Malaysia and Mexico’s relationship would be strengthened after celebrating 45 years of relations in March last year.
He said Malaysia was a leader in Southeast Asia, while Mexico played a leading role in North America.
He said while there were always challenges, the two countries had made big advances in commerce.
Corona hoped this could be maintained or improved when Malaysia became Mexico’s 10th global partner, a significant achievement as that meant that Malaysia had eclipsed the United Kingdom, France and Italy in terms of trade and investment with his country.