The SplashMania Water Theme Park in Gamuda Cove, Banting is set to be a big attraction for tourists. — Gamuda Cove
The Selangor government is targeting more than 3.5 million tourists from home and abroad this year, said State Tourism, Environment, Green Technology and Orang Asli Affairs chairman Hee Loy Sian.
The target is a 5% increase compared to last year’s 3.3 million tourists, he said.
Hee said among the locations that are expected to be tourist attractions is Splashmania Water Theme Park in Gamuda Cove (Banting), water taxis in Klang and cruise ship tours through Port Klang Cruise Terminal.
“In addition, ecotourism segments such as the Gombak Hulu Langat Geopark Project (GHL) which consists of 20 geosites in Gombak and Hulu Langat including Batu Caves, Permatang Kuarza, Sungai Tekala and Sungai Lalang Air Panas Complex are popular choices for tourists.
“Agritourism such as Selangor Fruit Valley in Bestari Jaya and some areas in Sungai Panjang, Sabak Bernam and Sekinchan also received attention,” he said in a statement.
He said the package based on the local community will also be widely marketed because it is the latest trend for tourists.
At the 2023 Selangor Budget presentation session, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari announced an allocation of RM6mil this year to develop and boost the tourism industry in the state.
Tourism Selangor will also empower two tourism promotion campaigns, namely the ongoing “Pusing Selangor Dulu!” for the domestic market and “Splendid Selangor, Take Me Anywhere” for the international market.
In addition, Hee said the state’s official tourist app Go Selangor! has been downloaded by nearly 2,000 users and accessed 6,820 times.
“The app received quite a good response from users, but there are some suggestions to increase packaged tours.
“A total of 313 operators were involved in 2022 (with Go Selangor!) consisting of the hotel, food and beverage and lifestyle sectors, as well as ticket vendors, attractive locations and other tourism activities,” he said.
He said a total of 1,000 operators will be added in the first quarter of 2023 to boost the use of the app.
The Go Selangor! app was launched in April last year to make it easier for tourists to get full access to tourism products in the state, in addition to positioning operators or merchants.
Through Go Selangor!, users can buy tickets to events, book their accommodation like hotels, chalets and homestays, and search for transportation options. – Bernama
