Malaysian tourism to create 1.7 million jobs

Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen has highlighted that his country's tourism industry employs 1.2 million people and that he expects half a million more tourism jobs to be created by 2020.

Underscoring the importance of the industry to the economy, Dr Ng said besides increasing the inflow of foreign exchange, tourism helped boost economic and socio-economic development, as well as create direct and indirect employment opportunities.

Dr Ng stated "additional jobs can easily be created in this industry, considering its deep and wide linkages with other related industries."

These industries include agriculture, handicraft, hotel, transport, arts and culture, wellness, food and beverages, entertainment, construction and finance.

"Tourism protects and conserves every aspect, be it history, culture, heritage or environment. We are looking at sustainable development, including in the job market," Dr Ng added, pointing out that tourism benefited everyone.

To achieve a target of RM94 billion in gross national income by 2020 compared with RM34 billion now, the Ministry has identified 12 high-impact projects across five themes:

'Affordable luxury' - includes three projects, namely imposing duty-free status on a wider range of goods, turning Bukit Bintang and Kuala Lumpur into premier shopping districts and introducing at least three new premium outlets.
'Nature adventure' - aims to transform Malaysia into a pre-eminent global biodiversity hub, while
'Family fun' - will introduce new integrated resorts and increase competitiveness in high-end cruises via the Straits Riviera projects.
'Events, entertainment, spas and sport' - targets the staging of more international events and establishing dedicated entertainment zones, and promote spa and sports products.
'Business tourism' - aims to establish the country as a leading business tourism destination.

Under the Malaysian Tourism Transformation Plan, the ministry aims to achieve RM168 billion in revenue and 36 million tourists by 2020. 

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