Tourism Malaysia, also known as the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, is a governmental agency headed by Ng Yen Yen, the nation's minister of tourism. Since the country's economic crisis in the commodities markets in the 1990s, the tourism board has strived to increase tourism and its resulting boost to the economy.
Tourism Malaysia says tourism has increased about 28 percent since 2003. The board wants to make the tourism industry a major factor in the country's economy. Tourism Malaysia has 11 domestic marketing offices and 34 international marketing offices.
According to the nation's tourism minister, tourism in Malaysia contributes about 7 percent of the country's gross domestic product. The tourist industry employs at least half a million people, or about 5 percent of the country's workforce. The money generated from the rise in tourism also significantly reduces the country's deficit.
The tourism board has seen an increase in the number of tourists as tourism to the Asia Pacific region overall has grown. In 1963, Malaysia attracted 1.3 percent of the tourists who visited the Asia Pacific region. By 2007, that figure had risen to more than 22 percent. About 77 percent of Malaysia's tourists come from countries that belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Because a majority of the tourists come from within the region, the Malaysian government promotes itself to the region by investing in the country's infrastructure so that travel costs will be lower for regional tourists.
The Malaysian government promotes different types of tourism. In 2009, medical tourism became a priority, with the government providing more money for medical facilities and research in a bid to entice ASEAN citizens to seek medical treatment in Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia also promotes culture and heritage tourism by providing funding for historical buildings, art galleries and museums. The government also is promoting ecological and agricultural tourism, focusing on popular attractions such as Kinabalu Park, Redang Island, Tioman Island and several marine parks.
The Malaysian government has not put forth an effort to promote its beach destinations even though the tourist demand is high. According to Tourism Malaysia, the reason stems from the amount of resources required to develop and maintain beach resorts and water quality. Popular island resorts have taken control of sections of coastal waters by being able to maintain their beach areas. The country is financially unable to clean up polluted public beaches, so the promotion of the beaches is left to the resorts.
