Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when tabling the MADANI Budget 2025 in Dewan Rakyat recently said, "The government has set aside nearly RM550 million to intensify tourism promotion & activities including a thorough preparation for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year (VM) 2026, and to fostering eco-tourism partnerships with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) & Habitat Foundation. (https://www.tourism.gov.my)
In setting Tourism Malaysia Strategic Direction towards VM2026, Dato' Sri Tong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said “The VM 2026 roadmap is built on three core strategies - creating demand, increasing traffic, and prioritising target markets. Key initiatives are branding & marketing blitz, partnerships for joint promotion campaigns & market segmentation on experential nature-based tourism.”
In this context, tourism management Prof Dr. Nor Khomar Ishak who had served as Dean and leading educator at Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Universiti Tun Razak (UniRazak) & UNITAR International University, together with a team of her former students, Dr. Haliza Mohd Said, Dr. Khursiah Abdul Aziiz & Rohaizah Abd. Latif took extensive research in the rural tourism development. The objectives were to provide opportunities for local people to promote rural tourism that could generate incomes for their communities.
To add value for their team, Professor Nor khomar invited industry practitioners and tour guide trainers for collaboration in this rural tourism project. They recieved encouraging response from former trainers: Dr. P. Pathamanaban (Tourism Management), Puan Afifah Abdul Rahim (Customer Service) and Dr. Zulkifly Baharom (Management Development) who had served the former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Academy.
The joint deliberation between tourism educators and industry practitioners concurred that Malaysia renowned for its natural beauty and cultural heritage in Asian travel market. It is emphasing sustainability of ecotourism with commitment to preserving natural resources and biodiversity. Their collaborative dialogues resulted with considerable success in delivering a concerted rural tourism training programmes
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