22-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
The world meets Malaysia in Melaka
THE world will soon turn its gaze to Melaka. In September, this historic city will host World Tourism Day (WTD) and World Tourism Conference (WTC).
Malaysia will welcome more than 3,000 delegates from 159 countries, including tourism leaders, policymakers and industry experts.
These events represent more than symbolic recognition.
They represent Malaysia's stage rehearsal for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), a defining opportunity to showcase the nation's tourism readiness, innovation and world-class hospitality.
These aspirations reflect a commitment to revitalising tourism for economic recovery.
However, the nation must mobilise efforts from federal leadership to the grassroots to achieve these goals.
The theme of WTD, "Tourism and Sustainable Transformation", could not be more timely.
It gives Malaysia a platform to highlight its strengths, such as, cultural heritage, ecotourism, Muslim-friendly tourism, digital infrastructure and smart destination planning.
Yet even with national frameworks in place, the real transformation must occur where experiences are delivered at the state and community levels.
This achievement reflects Melaka's effective coordination, infrastructure enhancements and branding strategies.
Melaka, aligned with the national agenda, has emerged as a beacon of tourism excellence through creative promotional programmes, digital innovation and outstanding service.
The success of Visit Melaka Year 2024 is demonstrated by the state recording more than 15 million tourist arrivals, which contributed RM12.68 billion to tourism revenue.
The Visit Melaka initiative will extend to 2026.
The appointment of Chinese actress Fan Bingbing as Melaka's tourism ambassador has elevated the state's image in the Chinese tourism market.
It generated more than 1.5 billion digital impressions on WeChat, positioning Melaka at the spotlight of Asia's tourism market.
Melaka's preparations for WTD and WTC include a tourism package, digital navigation upgrades, enhancing historical precincts and installing five-star public restrooms in tourist areas.
These efforts boost visitor confidence, satisfaction and brand loyalty to the state and the country.
Other states would do well to observe and emulate Melaka's approach to VM2026, especially in building niche tourism appeal, whether in food tourism, ecotourism or heritage preservation.
At the same time, the tourism industry must focus on quality growth while delivering immersive, high-value travel experiences.
Hoteliers, F&B businesses, tour operators and transport providers must raise their service standards, from cleanliness and punctuality to digital integration and multilingual service.
* NORENA JAAFAR
AKMAL ADANAN Senior lecturer
Faculty of Hotel and Tourism Management, UiTM Melaka
