Johor targets five million foreign visitors in 2023

JOHOR BAHRU: Johor’s tourism sector is expected to continue to grow, with a target of attracting five million international visitors to the state next year, says state Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar.

He said his confidence was based on the fact that so far this year, Johor had already received 2.8 million international visitors compared to its target of 1.5 million, with some of the main tourist destinations being Desaru,

Kota Tinggi and Iskandar Puteri.

“Most of the foreign tourists are from Singapore, India, the Philippines and China. We will continue to attract more tourists and we are working to double the number of tourists next year,” he told reporters when met at the Johor Speed Fest 2022 at R&F Marina here Saturday.

The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar launched both the Johor Speed Fest and the Johor Yacht and Recreation Club at the

R&F Marina. Also present was Johor Tourism director Suhairi Hashim.

Meanwhile, Raven hopes that the state and federal governments will continue to work closely to promote the country’s tourism industry.

“I also hope that attention will be paid to Johor because there are two international gateways in the state, Singapore and Indonesia. We also hope that the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Programme will be reviewed,” he added.

The MM2H programme, introduced in 2002, allows foreigners to buy properties and live in Malaysia for a longer period.

Meanwhile, Suhairi said the three-day Johor Speed Fest, which began yesterday, will highlight R&F as a venue for water and air recreational activities, with exhibitions of high-performance cars and motorbikes, powerboats, jet skis, yachts and seaplanes.