IPOH: More than 3.2 million international Muslim tourists are expected to visit Malaysia this year, says Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan.
The Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister said the number is out of 16 million tourists that are expected to visit the country, with a forecast of RM49.2bil in receipt spending.
“Based on the previous figure, the majority of Muslim tourists coming to Malaysia are from Indonesia.
“We believe even more Muslim tourists will come than the expected figure,” he told reporters after launching the Islamic Tourism Month in Casuariana@Meru Hotel here Friday (Aug 18).
In his opening speech, Khairul Firdaus said Malaysia welcomed 10.07 million international tourists, including 2.12 million Muslim tourists, last year, with a total of RM5.37bil in spending last year.
In June, Malaysia was announced as the "Best Muslim-friendly destination" by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the "Best Muslim women-friendly destination" by CrescentRating and Mastercard at the Halal in Travel Awards held in Singapore.
Khairul Firdaus said there was a wide market to tap in the Islamic tourism sector.
“There is a lot of awareness and education needed for this sector.
“Our country has no problem to promote the tourism, but the main issue to address is the product itself," he said.
“Therefore, the Islamic Tourism Centre will be more aggressive in promoting what we have not only in Muslim countries but also in Muslim-minority countries,” he added.
