Tourism Stakeholders Should Work Together To Create Better Products & Services

From P.Santhia Thevi ASTANA (Kazakhstan), May 24 (Bernama) -- All tourism stakeholders should work together to create products and services that are more value-based with "protect, preserve and conserve" as the national mantra for any process of balanced growth, especially tourism, says Tourism Minister of Malaysia Dr Ng Yen Yen. She said the partnership between private and public sectors assumed an important role in sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism industry, including for Kazakhstan that was diverse in ethnics. "We should work more closely with our friends from here and everywhere around the world who share the same belief and understanding to be mindful of the challenges we face and our missions and business interests with sustainable development objectives," she said. She suggested that investments be looked at as an instrument of change to influence social and economic outcomes. "For instance, Malaysia's international tourism brand and campaign is "Malaysia Truly Asia" which resonates well with tourists as it captures and defines the essence of the country's unique ethnic and cultural diversity which sums up the distinctiveness and attractiveness of Malaysia as a tourist destination. "I am sure everyone here agrees that governments and the public-private partnership professionals in countries worldwide have been working together for decades to ensure a smooth implementation process. "We must understand that good planning is essential to ensure that value for money is created, risk is shared and problems in implementation are minimised," she said in her speech on "Public-Private Partnership in the Sphere of Investments" on the second-day of the Astana Economic Forum. Dr Ng said new products must be created and niche markets identified to attract tourists and make their visits memorable as demand for meaningful travel was increasing. For example, the 1Malaysia International Shoe Festival, 1Malaysia Contemporary Arts Tourism, 1Malaysia Night Floral Parade and Fabulous Food 1Malaysia were introduced to attract more high-yielding tourists to Malaysia. Such products are necessary for a nation to spur the industry going forward, especially for Kazakhstan that was developing aggressively with investment opportunities as a strong emerging market in Central Asia, she said. Dr Ng added that the long-term economic success of any nation depended on its ability to invest surplus resources wisely and all new ideas and innovation may mean tremendous investment opportunities abound in emerging markets. "But it is always wise to ensure that we have sustainable development," the minister added. Malaysia, with a population of 28.6 million, is home to a bustling diversity of ethnic groups, cultures and religions living together while Kazakhstan is almost eight times bigger than Malaysia. -- BERNAMA