Johor Prioritises Locals In Tourism Development - Onn Hafiz

By Nur Fadhliana Shaari & Nur Fatin Mohmad Kadenen

JOHOR BAHRU, March 12 (Bernama) -- The Johor government is giving priority to locals in the development of the state's tourism sector as part of a strategy to strengthen the industry sustainably.

Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said the approach could be seen, among other things, through the implementation of different ticket prices at the Johor Zoo, with locals charged RM10 compared to RM30 for foreign tourists.

He said the effort was also supported by work to upgrade facilities at several major leisure locations in the city, including Taman Merdeka, the Royal Johor Botanical Gardens and Hutan Bandar.

According to him, the move was aimed at ensuring that locals were the first group to enjoy the tourism facilities provided by the state government.

"I want to emphasise to the Johor people that in terms of leisure, recreation, they are given priority first, and there will be many more products that will be launched this year," he told Bernama when asked to comment on the perception that the state was dependent on foreign tourists, especially from Singapore.

He said this in an interview with Bernama led by editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj at Saujana, the Official Residence of the Johor Menteri Besar here recently.

Onn Hafiz said the state government did not deny the importance of foreign tourists, but wanted to ensure there was a balance by emphasising domestic tourists, who indirectly helped promote Johor's tourism products.

"We are confident that when our own people are proud of our tourism products, they will become 'third party validators' to promote good things about this state," he said.

He said several tourism products throughout the district had also been upgraded, including the Gunung Ledang Waterfall area in Tangkak and Kampung Sungai Melayu in Iskandar Puteri, which have the potential to be ecotourism destinations.

According to him, the strategy is in line with the Visit Johor Year 2026 plan which focuses on strengthening support for domestic and international tourists.

The state government had previously targeted direct and indirect revenue collection of RM42 billion for Visit Johor Year 2026, based on a target of 12 million tourists throughout the year.

The state government has also allocated RM116.35 million for the period 2024 to 2025 to upgrade public facilities, enhance tourism attractions and visitor experience in the state.

-- BERNAMA