Environmental rape can harm tourism industry

KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said yesterday hit out at recent incidents of environmental rape by certain political leaders in the country, saying she feared these could have a negative impact on Malaysia’s image and its tourism industry.

She cited logging in Kedah’s catchment area, indiscriminate land clearing in Cameron Highlands (Pahang) and sand theft in Selangor as some of the incidents which could adversely affect the tourism industry.

“I am concerned over the greed of certain quarters which has threatened our environment. I do not want tourists to think that Malaysia is insensitive to environmental issues, making it seem as though we allow our environment to be threatened,” she said after a visit to the headquarters of the Malaysian national news agency, Bernama, here.

Azalina said that on the one hand, the ministry was working hard to protect and promote the environment while, on the other, unscrupulous people were destroying it.

She said leaders would have to exercise caution and practise sustainable development.

“The natural wealth of the country is among the best (in the world) and this is a major attraction for foreign tourists. People make visits to the country to see our natural wealth. We do not want to see Malaysia devoid of such an asset,” she said.

Azalina also said she would seek a bigger allocation for the ministry in the 2009 Budget, which is scheduled to be tabled in parliament on Aug 29.

She said the ministry would also continue to spend on tourism promotion campaigns, especially overseas, despite the federal government’s decision to cut back on spending.

The Tourism Ministry, unlike other ministries, was a “spending ministry” and it had to spend and invest before reaping the profits, estimated to be about 200-fold of the money expended, she said.

Azalina said the ministry’s current expenditure for global promotion campaigns was about RM250 million.

“We must and will continue to spend in order to get better profits. Even in the Ninth Malaysian Plan mid-term review recently, tourism was identified as a sector that would generate more income for the country,” she said.