By Yasmin Ramlan
KLANG, Dec 20 — With the recently announced RM6 million in the 2024 Selangor Budget to boost the state’s tourism industry, Dato’ Ng Suee Lim expressed his confidence that more funds would be budgeted for the sector in 2025, which will also be the Visit Selangor Year.
Though the state executive councillor for tourism said that the allotted figure for the state’s tourism efforts in the coming year is insufficient, Ng reaffirmed his commitment to doing his best to increase the number of tourists visiting Selangor through various promotional campaigns.
“RM6 million is insufficient for the tourism industry. It would be better if it is between RM10 million and RM20 million. But we understand the current situation faced by the state government.
“Nevertheless, I am optimistic that in 2025, we will secure a higher allocation following the significant increase in tourists visiting Selangor,” he said after officiating the Klang Municipal Council Sustainable Communities Awards 2023 at KSL Esplanade Hotel, here today.
On the ongoing promotional campaigns carried out by the state, Ng said this includes promoting Selangor to other countries, such as India, Laos, Germany, China, Singapore, and Indonesia.
“On our focus on Indonesia, we are promoting the medical tourism sector, leveraging the facilities and services available in Selangor, which are not fully utilised in the context of medical tourism.
“We are currently ranked third after Penang and Melaka, and we realise that we should improve it further,” he added.
Previously, Ng said the state will focus on medical tourism to draw more foreign visitors to the state, which is one of many promotional strategies outlined by Tourism Selangor.
The five-term Sekinchan state assemblyman stated that the strategies for the upcoming year align with preparations for the Visit Selangor Year 2025 campaign, which aims to attract up to eight million domestic and international tourists that year.
