Trifter

Selamat pagi pegawai kerajaan, or should I say, good morning/afternoon Government officials. My name is Ivan Chan and I am the Malaysian (click) ambassador to Australia (click). I am here today to discuss the relationship forged by tourism between Malaysia and Australia.

(click) Malaysia is a tropical country located in South East Asia and is comprised of two separate parts, (click) Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia. (click)  Malaysia is south of Thailand and north of Indonesia. (click) It is situated at 112 degrees 30 minutes east and 2 degrees 30 minutes north. (click) It is 6650km north from Sydney and has a total area of 329,847 sq km.

(click) (click) The country is home to 25,715,819 people and its capital is Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia’s currency is the Malaysian Ringgit. As of the 19th September, the exchange rate was at 1 Aussie dollar buying 3 Ringgit. In Malaysia, Bahasa Melayu is the official language, but English is widely spoken.

(click) (click) (click) Tourism has established a strong connection between Malaysia and Australia. (click) Malaysia attracted 320,363 Australians in 2007, which increased to 427,076 in 2008. Australian tourists are appealed by Malaysia’s (click) first world image, (click) world class hotels, (click) flashy restaurants, (click) high-tech cities, (click) tropical islands such as Langkawi and (click) some of the world’s oldest tropical rainforests.

(click) (click) (click) Many Malaysians also visit Australia annually because of Australia’s (click) multiculturalism and famous landmarks (click) Opera House, Uluru, Swan Bells. (click) In 2008, 171,019 Malaysians visited Australia in 2008, (click) staying an average of 39 nights, which accounted for 4% of total visitor nights.

(click) (click) (click) Cheaper air travel has enabled tourists to travel easily and quickly between Malaysia and Australia. (click) The geographical proximity between the countries make Malaysia an ideal stop over and transit city (click) for over 30% of Australians flights. (click) Low-cost airlines have increased competition in the South Eastern airline industry, making travel cheaper.   

(click) (click) Tourism carries benefit and disadvantages for both countries. (click) Tourism has contributed 10.3 billion US dollars or 3.2% of Malaysia’s total GDP of 313.8 billion in 2006 and (click) 8.1 billion dollars or 5.5% of Australia’s total GDP in 2004, (click) adding to both countries’ economical prosperity. (click) This prosperity is evident with Malaysia having emerged as the 2nd largest contributor for foreign earnings towards national income in the ASEAN region. (click) As of 2008, 1.217 million workers or 11.6% of Malaysia’s workforce were employed in the tourism sector. (click) The Australian tourism industry employs 550,100 workers or 5.6% of the Australian workforce. (click) In addition, tourism indirectly strengthens other links such as trade, investment, defence and law enforcement.

(click) (click) However, construction of new tourist facilities has led to (click) deforestation, (click) habitat loss and (click) land degradation. (click) Tourists have also increased waste and pollution. (click) International travel is also a transmission vehicle for diseases such as SARS and Swine Flu, especially with the efficiency of air travel. (click) Another disadvantage is tourists who overstay their visas and in turn, become illegal immigrants or work on foreign soil without permission by the government. This results in serious implications to National security.

With the global recession waning, tourism activity will start to increase. Thus, the future of our relationship seems optimistic. Hopefully, it will facilitate cooperation for our Asia-Pacific region.

Bibliography

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