The prime minister said the unfortunate incident should not dampen tourist inflow into the country, especially with the ongoing Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY 2014) campaign in which the government is targeting 28.8 million tourist arrivals.
“Hopefully the tragic loss of flight MH370 will not significantly impact our targets for the VMY 2014 campaign,” he said at the launching of Perdana Quay development project in Langkawi yesterday.
Najib said the 28.8 million tourists will represent an increase of 12% on last year, while the industry is expected to contribute about 12.5% to the country’s gross domestic product.
The government also targets to register 36 million tourists to Malaysia by 2020, collecting RM168 billion in receipts annually, or more than RM3 billion per week.
“It is an ambitious target, yes, but we are well on the way to reaching it. We are now the second-most visited destination in the South-East Asian region.
“In 2013, each tourist spent an average of more than RM2,500 during their stay, an increase of 5.2% on the previous year. This did not happen by chance. Over the years we have focused our efforts on attracting high-end luxury tourists, improving our attractions and services and enhancing connectivity to priority markets,” said the premier.
In Langkawi, Najib said the government hopes to attract RM5 billion of investment into the island between 2011 and 2015, with more than half coming from the private sector.
To kick-start this investment drive, he said the federal government allocated RM420 million for development in Langkawi — improving infrastructure, attracting worldclass hotels and presenting tourists with the opportunity to experience Langkawi’s many natural wonders, as reported in FMT.
Perdana Quay is a megaproject of Tradewinds Corp Bhd, with a gross development value of RM4 billion.
The development of The Burau, a luxury deluxe resort will kick start overall development of the mega-project, which spans a construction period of 10-12 years.
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