SINGAPORE TOURISTS

Despite all that controversy about Singapore arrival figures which Johor State Assembly feel that 50% can be discounted,Singapore remains Malaysia's largest tourism generating market, says Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Dr Victor Wee.

He said from January to June this year, "we welcomed 6.12 million Singaporean tourists to Malaysia.

"In 2010, Malaysia recorded more than 13 million Singapore tourist arrivals, up 2.4 per cent from 2009. "This constituted 53 per cent of our total tourist arrivals, contributing RM28.4 billion in receipts," he said at the launch of the 8th Travel Malaysia Tourism Fair 2011.

The three-day event, held at the Singapore Expo Convention and Exhibition Centre, is organised by Express Bus Agencies Association (EBAA).

Dr Wee said Malaysia registerd a total of 24.6 million tourist arrivals last year, which marked a 3.9 per cent increase over the 2009 figure.

For hassle-free entry into Malaysia, he urged Singaporeans to apply for the Malaysia Automated Clearance System (MACS) card. He said the Malaysian Immigration Department has set up temporary counters for MACS card applications in Johor Baharu comprising City Square Shopping Centre, Jusco Bukit Indah, Jusco Tebrau City, Holiday Plaza Shopping Mall and Giant Hypemarket in Tampoi from Oct 15 to Nov 15. The operating hours are from 10am to 10pm daily.

With the year-end holiday season approaching, Dr Wee said, the Tourism Ministry and Tourism Malaysia are looking forward to Singaporeans visiting Malaysia for the annual 1Malaysia Year End Sales (MEYS) on Nov 15 until January 2012.

On new attractions, he said Johor Premium Outlet (JPO), Southeast Asia's first premium outlet centre, is set to open on Dec 11 with more than 80 stores.

On another note, Dr Wee said the Tourism Minister and Tourism Malaysia will also continue to carry out various aggressive promotional efforts to attract more participants to the homestay programme. Last year, the programme attracted close to 196,500 participants, including 49,126 foreigners, generating RM124.4 million in earnings. Singaporeans made up 52.5 per cent of the total foreign homestay tourists.