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Thailand, Malaysia to Boost Tourism, Shrug off Global Slump

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Southeast Asia Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, October 4 (IslamOnline) - Malaysia and Thailand enjoyed great strides in tourism this year and plan to enjoy more arrivals despite global economic slowdown and terrorism threats, news agencies reported, Friday, October 4, 2002.

Thailand seems unfazed by the global economic slowdown and the decline in travel since September 11, 2001, seeing its tourism industry booming this year.

Malaysia’s economy has entered a new phase, with more emphasis on local industry. However, it still need foreign exchange to compete in the international market and to keep its local currency afloat.

To achieve this, the country decided that tourism could be the major revenue earner in the long run and efforts are being made to ensure more tourist traffic to Kuala Lumpur.

Thailand's buzzing tourism industry offers a safe destination for foreigners eager to look stay away from the current chaos of the war against terror, the Bangkok Post reported recently.

The country also successfully projected its natural resources and vast cultural heritage to the world and attracted an unprecedented number of tourists, the paper said.

Thailand expects 10.5 million foreign visitors this year, up from 10.1 million last year - the first time tourist arrivals broke the 10-million mark, official figures showed.

According to Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata), a regional body comprising major players in the tourism industry Malaysia has also attracted more tourists in a single year, this year, the Straits Times of Singapore said.

More than 5.3 million visitors arrived in Thailand during the first six months of 2002, representing a 6.4 per cent increase over the same period last year.

Again it is the colorful festivals in Malaysia and Thailand that contributed largely to the increase in arrivals, IslamOnline was told.

Besides these two countries have rich natural beauty and offers great facilities to tourists. Food and lodging are abundant and reasonably priced.

Transportation facilities are another major focal point in the increase in tourist arrival in Malaysia, a source in the tourism industry told IslamOnline on Thursday 3rd October.

Malaysia has enhanced its rail system with the Rail Express Link (REL) that links the city of Kuala Lumpur to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

The train leaves the airport every 15 minutes and is a cheaper and safer mode of transport for light travelers and families altogether. The REL stops at the KL Sentral, the major rail link to Kuala Lumpur itself.

In Thailand this month, the festival is about a mythical dragon believed to rise from the Mekong River during full moon. Last year this festival attracted almost 100,000 tourists in the city of Nong Khai, the Singapore paper said.

The tourism industry accounts for more than 5 per cent of Thailand's gross domestic product and provides jobs for a few hundred thousand people.

Last year, it generated a record revenue of almost 7 U.S $ billion.

Both Malaysia and Thailand offer a long-stay scheme for foreign retirees, while Bangkok is promoted as a health hub. Malaysia may engage itself in more eco-tourism and health care too, sources said.

Malaysia and Thailand both have a relaxed immigration policy, which allows visitors from a large number of nations to enter the country without visas. These are a great boost for tourism.