KUCHING: The political uncertainties and struggles in the country should come to an end, said federal Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC) Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.
“After an eventful 2022, Malaysia is ushering in 2023 full of hope and challenges ahead.
“It is time for the Unity Government to resolve the difficulties accumulated in the past and prepare us to face the challenges on the horizon.
“We must focus on the wellbeing of the people, set a common direction, and steadily forge a brighter future,” he said in his New Year’s Day message posted on his Facebook page today (Jan 1).
Touching on his ministry, he said MOTAC must step out of its comfort zone, brainstorm and improve itself, and continue to improve with innovative thinking and methods in line with the current society.
He said that in the past three years, the whole world has been deeply affected by the pandemic, with the tourism industry suffering greatly.
This year will be the time for MOTAC to face the challenges and be responsible for getting Malaysian tourism back on track.
“We are motivated by the people’s expectations to attract more tourists to Malaysia.
“It is undeniable that tourism is one of the core areas that rapidly drive the country’s economic growth. Welcome to MOTAC’s new tests and challenges,” he added.
At the same time, Tiong also appealed to the tourism, art, and cultural industries, including travel agencies and tourism service industries, to continue to provide constructive suggestions and opinions.
“Let us work together to promote the development of the domestic tourism, art, and cultural industries.
“We can create a new era and new heights for the sector so that Malaysia’s tourism industry can be competitive on the world tourism stage and reclaim our status as one of the world’s major tourist destinations,” he said.
In addition, he also stressed that in the coming year, the ministry and its associated agencies must formulate new key performance indicators (KPIs) and goals to be achieved for their relevant divisions and agencies.
“It must think outside the box to formulate fresh strategies and achieve the goals set, not just deliver sweet but empty promises,” he said.
