Lack of facilities for tourists
> More hotels, restaurants needed: MAS CEO
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has a huge potential to develop the tourism market but currently is only scratching the surface of it, said Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chief executive officer Peter Bellew.
He said one of the main problems is the lack of facilities for tourists.
“There is a need for more hotels, other types of accommodation and touristthemed restaurants,” he said.
He hoped that the government will place emphasis on developing tourism in Budget 2017 by providing Tourism Malaysia with more funds for promotional activities.
He said China is at the most three to four hours away and most Chinese tourists are attracted to Malaysia because of the food and language similarities.
He said the government should give incentives to people developing hotels and tourist facilities because it will easily create jobs and will be good for the country.
“There are huge stretches of untouched and undeveloped beaches which are about 40 miles long in both Sabah and Sarawak.
“It’s one of the most beautiful areas that can be developed to attract tourists,” Bellew told reporters during the launch of the partnership between MAS and Liverpool Football Club (LFC) at Bangsar South yesterday where it was revealed that MAS will be the official global airline for LFC for a threeyear period.
He added that the airline will have access to the pitch side’s digital advertising and will be sending out its messages on its promotional activities in three languages – English, Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin.