Pahang Dismisses Claims Of Unequal Tourism Promotions

KUANTAN, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- The Pahang government has dismissed claims of unequal tourism promotion, stressing that efforts are in place to attract both domestic and international visitors as part of the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

State Unity, Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Leong Yu Man said the state has received numerous inquiries from the public attributing the sluggish tourism activity in Tasik Chini, Tasik Bera, and Cherating to a lack of promotion by the government.

Citing Tourism Pahang data, she noted that Cherating recorded 220,567 tourist arrivals last year, compared to 240,856 in 2023, while Tasik Chini welcomed 946 visitors in 2024.

“We have never neglected tourism development in any district. However, we acknowledge that some districts are more developed than others, and certain areas may lag in the tourism sector due to various factors.

“For instance, I can confidently say that promotional efforts for Cherating have never been sidelined. I have personally observed initiatives such as business-to-business (B2B) engagements, the MIT Pahang, brochures, and social media promotions - all of which consistently include Cherating,” she said.

She said this during the Planning for Pahang Tourism 2025 press conference here today, which was also attended by Pahang Tourism general manager Kamaruddin Ibrahim.

Leong emphasised that promotional efforts for Cherating extend beyond the domestic market to international audiences, including participation in global tourism expos and engagements with industry players from Europe, Singapore, and China.

However, she acknowledged that Cherating faces certain infrastructure challenges, such as inadequate lighting and road conditions and efforts are underway to secure a larger budget for these improvements.

“During the meeting, we were informed that a long-term development plan for Cherating is in place through the Kuantan City Council, but securing a substantial budget takes time,” she said.

In the short term, she noted that a site visit had been conducted to assess immediate improvements.

“One of the challenges is that much of the beachfront is privately owned, which limits government-led development. We are actively working to address these constraints,” she added.

-- BERNAMA