On the special occasion of World Tourism Day (WTD) 2023, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, remarked that the WTD serves as a vital platform to foster awareness of tourism’s social, cultural, political, and economic value towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“The Government of Malaysia has long recognised the need to go for high-yield tourism and this aspiration has underpinned our national tourism plans and policies. Malaysia’s overarching 10-year National Tourism Policy (NTP) 2020-2030 is aligned with the UN SDGs and 2030 Agenda in its three pillars of competitiveness, inclusiveness, and sustainability, and its six transformation strategies,” he said.
“Among the investment strategies outlined in the NTP 2020-2030 is the development of vibrant ecotourism clusters and designated Special Tourism Investment Zones, anchored by a strong mechanism for public-private partnership and collaboration between government Ministries and agencies to enhance the visibility of high-value tourism products and tourism-related incentives.”
The global stage for this year’s annual WTD celebrations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last week (27 September) saw more than 100 World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Member States in attendance, including more than 50 Ministers of Tourism at the biggest WTD celebration to date. Joining them were high-level representatives from tourism’s private sector, both regionally and globally.
While the theme for WTD this year is ‘Tourism and Green Investments’, the celebrations in Riyadh shone the spotlight on the need for more and better-targeted investments for People, Planet and Prosperity in the context of education and skills, sustainable infrastructure and green transformation, as well as innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.
Tiong also reflected on the importance of striking the right balance between the 3Ps of sustainability – People, Planet and Profit. “As a people-to-people industry, tourism has been a wellspring for encouraging small and micro-enterprise growth in the Asia-Pacific region, generating investments in health and education services, and providing opportunities for women’s economic empowerment, among other initiatives.”
“For our destinations to thrive, tourism infrastructure and connectivity are key priorities in attracting premium new investments. Towards this end, Malaysia’s Tourism Infrastructure Scheme worth USD2 million (MYR1 billion) was launched to strengthen the momentum of tourism recovery by providing funding to tourism operators for hotel refurbishment and new tourism products,” Tiong said.
“While infrastructure provides the hardware for sustainable tourism development, its software is shaped by the skills and expertise of local communities. As tourism employs one in every four persons in Malaysia’s workforce with a high share of the informal sector, the challenge remains to elevate the career path with enhanced product knowledge, digital skills, and training for special interest tourism in niche segments,” he remarked.
“Moving forward, Malaysia welcomes the opportunity to work closely with UNWTO, particularly in the areas of global sustainability certification and measurement tools such as MST (Measuring the Sustainability of Tourism) and ESG. Adopting such indicators will go a long way in supporting a collective vision of an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative tourism industry,” Tiong concluded.
Malaysia’s delegation at the WTD 2023 celebration in Riyadh was led by Dato’ Roslan Tan Sri Abdul Rahman, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia in his capacity as the official representative of MOTAC Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.
Roslan, during his official visit to Riyadh, also took the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on Fahd Hamidaddin, chief executive officer and member of the board of the Saudi Tourism Authority. According to MOTAC, the meeting discussed potential areas of cooperation between the Malaysian government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the mutual benefit of both countries, particularly with regard to the government’s effort to position Malaysia as a preferred transit hub for Umrah pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia via Kuala Lumpur International Airport. 
