Travellers visit countries they find intriguing, exciting and unique. For decades, Malaysia has been praised for
its beauty while the people are described as polite and helpful. The country's diverse cultures have attracted many foreign tourists. Travellers
leave with happy memories after visiting the nation's beaches, islands and mountains. Our landmarks, too, are well known across the
world. In a nutshell, Malaysia, in the eyes of foreigners, is special and visiting the country is worth their
time, money and energy.
But,
with the lack of maintenance and budget cuts, how do we ensure
that our tourism tale ends happily?
There
are several ways to maintain our reputation as a top destination for travellers.
To boost the tourism industry, we need to continue providing
excellent service to tourists. Our guides
should be friendly and helpful. This attitude
will mirror our personality and quality of workers. Mountain guides who had helped victims of the Sabah earthquake in June should serve as an inspiration to other guides.
We need to promote our
universities to attract more international students. Apart from giving the opportunity to local and international
students to mix and share ideas, these foreign students will help the country’s
economic growth.
As we attract and expect others to come and contribute
financially to our country, it is also essential for us to visit domestic destinations. It is not nice for us to go
overseas and return to brag and compare, while forgetting that Malaysia has
plenty to offer.
Courtesy of New Sunday Times
16 August 2015
