PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
DOMESTIC TOURISM RAMPS UP OVER 10.2 MILLION IN SELANGOR
Selangor Takes the Lead for Domestic Tourism with the Highest Tourist Inflow in Malaysia
SELANGOR, 29 September 2022 – The State of Selangor has been announced as Malaysia’s top domestic tourism destination, with over 10.2 Million tourists visiting Selangor in 2021. This has put Selangor above a few other states recorded with the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (9.1 million), Sarawak (6.5 million), Negeri Sembilan (5.5 million) and Pulau Pinang (5.1 million).
Tourism is one of the largest industries, contributing 12.8 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) prior to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. However, the state-wide lockdowns that forbade both domestic and international travel significantly impacted the tourism sector globally.
The relaxation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) implemented this year, as well as the ease of the travel restriction and a high rate of vaccination turnover, gives better hope to the tourism industry.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) reports that the government’s announcement on the transition to the endemic phase will contribute to the recovery of Malaysia’s tourism sector. It is anticipated that the country will have a healthy economic recovery this year, driven by domestic sectors. The hotel room occupancy rate indicator displayed in the first quarter of 2022 demonstrates this, combined with the significant rise in interstate travel, especially for domestic tourism-related industries.
The State of Selangor provides a wide range of segmentation with abundant tourism attractions to cater to the domestic market. Since the earlier phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, through its tourism promotion agency, Tourism Selangor has introduced the “Eager to Travel? Pusing Selangor Dulu!” Campaign as one of the proactive approaches to strengthen the state’s domestic tourism.
The campaign is driven toward a well-rounded execution that includes partnerships with key tourism industry players such as hotel operators, tourism agencies, airlines and media members. This is in line with one of the objectives of the Selangor Economic Stimulus that was developed to increase domestic tourism to the state, with over RM 2.5 Million utilised for various initiatives to boost the state’s tourism industry.
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