GCC TOURISTS

Business News reported that Malaysia needs a boost in tourists from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to reach its target of 36 million visitors per year by 2020.

Dato Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen who was quoted at the Malaysian Foreign Minister said on Tuesday Arab tourists spend an average of 7,500 ringgit (Dh9,258) per stay, compared to an average of 2,300 ringgit by others.

Dr Ng Yen Yen said GCC visitors were integral to meeting government targets of $55 billion (Dh202.3 billion) per year from tourism in ten years. "We are moving towards encouraging more long-stay high-yield visitors, which is something this region provides," she told Gulf News.

Figures from 2010 show 320,000 GCC tourists visited last year, mostly from Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. This makes the region Malaysia's third biggest market after China and India.

Malaysia's popularity has increased in the wake of unrest that affected many Middle East and North African countries in the first half of 2011, said Yen Yen.