Complaints from tourists have shot up by 15% in the first 10 months of this year compared with last year, Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit said. He said the ministry received 337 complaints this year compared with 292 last year.
“Most were on tour operators and agents who short-change tourists, poor service and services at hotels that are not up to mark,” he said after a dialogue session with tour operators here yesterday. He said the majority of the complaints were from locals, with only 50 from foreigners.
“We take all complaints seriously and investigate them,” he said, adding that there were also cases of fraud, especially over membership cards and timeshare packages.
He said new strategies were needed to attract Singaporeans who visited Malaysia mainly for grocery shopping and food.
“So far, 55% (13 million) of our tourist arrivals are from Singapore. With events like international concerts in Johor, we can attract more Singaporeans,” he said, adding that a high-speed bullet train could also improve travel between Malaysia and Singapore.
The tour operators highlighted issues like traffic snarls at the Johor Baru Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex as the staff parked their cars on emergency lanes, no proper signages to tourism products in Desaru, narrow roads leading to congestion, and regulations and policy reviews involving tour bus operators.
They also brought up the issue of tourists being sexually harassed by immigration personnel.
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