Several tourism related bodies delved into the experience of a tourist at the incident at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport recently.

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) expressed its concern about the reported incident involving an international tourist experience at the airport recently.

“As an organization dedicated to providing the best hospitality experience our beloved Malaysia has to offer, we firmly believe that every visitor should receive a warm welcome and be given fair treatment from the first, to the last mile of their visit.

“The tourism industry plays a vital role in contributing to Malaysia’s economy, creating many employment opportunities and attracting businesses into the country. Unfortunate incidents that mar the experience of tourists, particularly at our country’s entry points, are unacceptable and warrant strong condemnation.

“Prompt actions must be taken as we approach Visit Malaysia Year 2025, where tourist arrivals are expected to increase significantly. We cannot afford cases of mistreatment or miscommunication to undermine our extensive tourism efforts and harm our nation’s image and reputation as the preferred destination for tourism.

“We hope that the relevant government agencies will thoroughly investigate the incident and use it as a learning opportunity for improvement. It is crucial to ensure that proper protocols are in place and that frontline tourism personnel adhere to the highest standards of professionalism. By addressing and rectifying any shortcomings, we can enhance the overall travel experience for all visitors to our country,” read the press statement.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is calling for a thorough independent and transparent investigation into the recent incident involving the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC), Dato Sri Tiong King Sing at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

“There is nothing new about reports of corruption and victimisation of tourists by Malaysian immigration officers. These incidents involve tourists from many nationalities, not just the Chinese. MATTA has, on several occasions, raised concerns about this as it impedes tourism stakeholders’ marketing efforts, said MATTA President, Datuk Tan Kok Liang.

“The crux of the issue is whether there was any corruption, abuse of power or mistreatment of tourists, not whether Tiong broke protocol – that is secondary,” he added.

According to Transparency International, Malaysia’s 2022 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) score deteriorated to 47 points from 53 points in 2019 (0 is perceived to be highly corrupted and 100 is perceived to be very clean).

“It is imperative that the government does all it can to uplift the image of Malaysia as a safe and attractive tourism destination by eliminating corruption at all levels more so at KLIA which is the main gateway”. Moving forward it is time for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to reassess the situation in light of current development at key entry points in Malaysia .  A review of the current procedures on the handling of travellers with NTL ( not to land) status is also crucial to prevent abuses as Malaysia gears up to receive more international tourists .

“It is reassuring to know that the Minister is taking his job seriously and we applaud him and the ministry for the initiative. We hope that the various ministries will work closely with MOTAC to strengthen Malaysia’s position as a key tourism destination in Southeast Asia and we anticipate more positive changes to the industry in the coming months,” he added.

In the meantime, the Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association (MyBHA)

supported the Minister of Tourism in this matter.

“As a Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, he has the responsibility to ensure that the country’s tourism industry recovers and his action to give a positive image and raise the confidence level of foreign tourists to visit Malaysia.

“In our opinion as well, a Minister has the power to ensure that all issues under his control are resolved and it is not a problem for him to visit and/or conduct surprise inspections of any government office or agency in an effort to resolve arising matters under his portfolio.

“We call on the relevant parties to immediately investigate and take appropriate action against any individual with bad intentions who has been exaggerated and involved and/or had a political attack motivated to expose the matter in an effort to tarnish the image of the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture of Malaysia.

“Therefore, we fully support the actions of the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture of Malaysia and call on the Malaysian Immigration Department to resolve the matters that have been revealed by the Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture of Malaysia himself and always have a constructive attitude that welcomes tourists to Malaysia as which the tourism industry is an industry that is one of the main contributors towards the nation’s economy as well as the hospitality industry and the country’s image should be avoided from being damaged and must be preserved,” read the press statement.