Nancy addressing the participants at the YIT2022 programme. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Oct 18): Tourism, Art and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri has encouraged the youths in tourism to contribute ideas to make Malaysia the best eco-tourism destination in the world.
“I want to hear from you. Your vision, your suggestions, your thoughts, your imagination, your ideas. No idea is a bad idea.
“We would like to inspire the future of tourism industry based on your idea, your mold, your say. You are the architect for our country,” she said during the opening ceremony of the Youth In Tourism (YIT) 2022 programme at Pullman Hotel here today.
Nancy pointed out that there are still a lot of untapped potentials that can give Malaysia a competitive advantage over the other countries.
“From 2009-2012, Malaysia was No. 9 in the list of ‘Top 10 Highest Tourist Arrivals in the World’. However, the tourism industry is very competitive and all other countries have learned our strategies and ways of promotion. Little by little, our position is now down to the latest ranking of 22.
“That is why, I want us all to work together and be innovative in highlighting new, more dynamic ideas, in line with the current needs and wants, to attract more international tourists to Malaysia,” she said.
Nancy pointed out that tourism allows for creativity and innovation as seen during the pandemic.
“People were forced to stay indoors, and under such circumstances, people, especially the youths came up with lots of ideas. And it was also during the pandemic that the use of IT was accelerated. That also resulted in the discovery of hidden gems in the rural areas.
“All these have led to new activities and local products being monetised to generate income for the people,” she said.
Nancy also urged the youths to be good in telling stories and engage in ‘creative tourism’, as well as to utilise technology.
“Creative tourism means that we provide tourists with opportunities and activities to learn and experience our culture, or ‘immersive experience’. With the (tourism) infrastructure provided by the government, such as the Sarawak Cultural Village here, we need activities that can be implemented with the cooperation of young people who are tech-savvy and can create good online content.
“Technology is now increasingly sophisticated and complex and is rapidly changing the landscape of the world we know today. For example, we must learn search engine optimisation (SEO), algorithms on social media to get the best outreach. In other words, we need to make Sarawak and Malaysia viral with positive things for the world to know us,” she said.
Some 300 students of higher learning institutions, tourism product operators, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil servants participated in the inaugural Youth In Tourism forum. The programme is expected to held in Pulau Pinang, Pahang, Johor, Sabah and Kuala Lumpur.
Also present was the director-general of Tourism Malaysia Datuk Zainuddin Abdul Wahab.