come, come to malaysia
filed in general, malaysia, Uncategorized |
on Jan.08, 2007
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ok, so visit malaysia year (VMY) had been launched and we were told that the time is now, the place is malaysia (slogan!).
while there had been some negative remarks going on regarding VMY, i try to be more positive to support VMY, as after all i do love my country and want to see it grow in the tourism field . why, you see i am doing my part to promote VMY by having its logo and link here in my blog (right sidebar).
anyway i will still talk negatively on the eye of malaysia as i feel it was a waste of money to spend on a (copied) giant ferris wheel just for some breath-taking views of the city. you know the ride last only 12 mins and it cost RM15 – isn’t that too expensive? and the VIP gondola which cost RM60 is said to have a television on board, a VCD/DVD player on board – it’s kind of silly when you think of it – just a 12 mins ride, and you want to watch television? and aren’t you suppose to look out, watch the breath-taking scenes of the twin towers or KLCC instead? real stupid.
btw, have anyone of you read what jonathan kent of BBC wrote about some incidents that happened in malaysia that may mar the VMY project? jonathan wrote about how two black americans were detained by the immigration officers and how they were treated inhumanly.
‘racial profiling’ said one of the black american. i agree. i find that malaysians tend to look down on the black americans but are so good and nice to the white americans. well not only the black americans but non americans or rather non ‘mat salleh’ – e.g. japanese, vietnamese, singaporeans, filipino.
just take a look at e.g. those who serve customers on the front e.g. cashiers in dept. stores, receptionist in hotels. i used to notice that whenever a mat salleh approach them, they will have a big smile on and be on their sweetest but when say a singaporean tourist approach them, you will hardly notice a smile on their faces.
of course jonathan also pointed out the one infamous incident where our moral police knocked on the door of an american couple in langkawi demanding for their marriage certificate.
well, news of these incidents are spread all over the world, soon, we’ll see less and less tourists coming to our country. i hope that in this year of 2007 – the VMY, incidents such as these will not happen. knowing malaysians…..let’s wait with bated breath and see.
January 8th, 2007 on 10:39 am
I share your sentiments, I really do hope that all those unfortunate events will not deter tourists from coming.I’ll just keep the negative things to myself, if want to write, it will be a 40 page karangan
lucia: so true, mae, so true. while we know there are a lot of negative things, we try not to delve on it but we sincerely hope that those unfortunate events will not happen so that tourists will not be afraid to come.
January 8th, 2007 on 12:23 pm
Well, I think Malaysian bloggers should do all we can to attract foreign tourists to consider Malaysia as their destination of choice. We have much to offer (complaints aside) and it would be a shame if VMY2007 does not succeed.
Politics, brickbats and criticisms of the authorities should not be a reason not to promote our country as a tourist destination. All of us stand to gain with an influx of tourists and it is actually quite disappointing that not many bloggers are doing what you are doing here to promote VMY2007.
lucia: yes, bloggers should try to do their part to attract tourists despite what they may not like about malaysia.
January 8th, 2007 on 8:48 pm
If truth be told , Malaysia is a land of great contradictions. We have on the one hand some of the brightest people around and then some of the worst.
Take food for eg. our Malaysian food is recognised as one of the world’s great cuisines ( officially by foreigners, check Rasa Malaysia’s site )
But our very own Tourism Ministry dare not publicise this, other than satay and nasi lermak. U know why( as usual politics and racial problems)
. Klang is noted for its gastronomical delights ( to locals ) but the Authorities remain tight lipped, 4 halal & other sinister reasons.
Promotions? Severe incompetence and vested interests .thats why
VMY07 is facing an uphill task becoz 90% of Malaysians dunno the hell what it is and 99% of foreigners dunno what the hell we can offer !
Anybody want/dare to admit our intrinsic deep seated racial problems !?
We r not united in our approach.
lucia: you are right in a way, toni, but come, for the sake of tourism – to get our country known – let’s for a moment forget all these.
January 8th, 2007 on 11:48 pm
The false perception is that people can attract tourists by telling them of the social aspects. Asked yourself the reason you visit a country. It’s about some place of historical reasons, some places where there is fun such as Disneyland, some places where there is tranquility and peace such as seasides and high mountains, some places where there is deep rooted cultures such as temples, churches, Taj Mahal; and places that had fun stuff such as casinos, theme parks.
But one thing that deters tourists is racial profiling which is eminent here.
lucia: ah… racial profiling… yes, as tonixe pointed out too. that’s the sad part.
January 9th, 2007 on 4:05 am
[...] Lucia Lai hopes for the success of Visit Malaysia Year program that was announced recently to attract more tourists. The blogger also comments on the installation of a ferris wheel in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. “i will still talk negatively on the eye of malaysia as i feel it was a waste of money to spend on a (copied) giant ferris wheel just for some breath-taking views of the city. you know the ride last only 12 mins and it cost RM15 – isn’t that too expensive?” Preetam Rai [...]
January 9th, 2007 on 5:40 am
Wish I could get there this year. Not likely though.
lucia: oh that’s too bad. never mind. other times, not during VMY is ok as well.