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By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, June 16: The proposal to appoint an external party is part of efforts to revamp the marketing and promotion division within Tourism Malaysia to get the tourism industry out of the ‘boiling frog syndrome’.
Boiling frog syndrome is a metaphor that describes people stuck in stagnating jobs where they do not make any changes or move forward.
The Malaysian Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Dato Seri Tiong King Sing, said the proposed reformation in Tourism Malaysia is still in discussion, and a thorough study will follow it.
He noted that the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board Employee Union (KPPLPPM) had expressed dissatisfaction over the proposal stating that it would affect the staff’s promotion opportunities and cause problems in procurement matters and the complex government financial system.
Following this, he explained that sourcing from an external party would not rule out the existing procedures, including those related to qualifications and criteria set.
“I have proposed revamping Tourism Malaysia, and it does not involve the whole agency as it only focuses on the marketing and promotion division. Why relate it to the management and finance division?
“I hope all parties will not spread false perceptions that could create confusion and dissatisfaction among the people, especially Tourism Malaysia staff,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday (June 15).
Tiong further said the proposed restructuring of employees within Tourism Malaysia would create new opportunities for new talents among the youth, which would be vital to driving the marketing and promotion division as an important agency to boost the country’s economic growth.
Like it or not, he said Malaysia needs to remain competitive with other countries, especially in Southeast Asia, where their tourism sectors are aggressive and refreshing.
“Living in a comfortable state by doing routine work is like the boiling frog syndrome, and this is one of the factors that the Malaysian tourism industry is lagging behind the Asean countries.
“For example, our neighbour Thailand has recorded 11.4 million foreign tourists to their country from January to June 11 this year, involving 472 billion baht or USD13.67 billion as announced by their tourism ministry on June 12.
“In 2022, Thailand only recorded 11.15 million tourists for the whole year. So how does Thailand manage to attract tourists to their country, but we cannot? I believe Tourism Malaysia has knowledge on this,” he elaborated.
He further stressed that the recruitment or placement of Tourism Malaysia staff, including high positions, is based on their qualifications and key performance indicators (KPI) to ensure that Tourism Malaysia can achieve its goal of driving the tourism industry.
At the same time, Tiong claimed that many industry players, including travel agents, airlines, and hoteliers, have described the Malaysian tourism industry as unsatisfactory.
“Many places have the potential to become tourist destinations, but this was not achieved, and many interesting tourist destinations are not properly promoted,” he pointed out.
He also mentioned that he is currently in Cambodia for an official work visit and would be ready to meet with KPPLPPM president Alwi Syakir Abdullah to discuss further upon his trip home. — DayakDaily
