RM200mil a boon to industry, says Azalina

Wednesday March 11, 2009

THE passenger load at the KL International Airport will exceed 20 million by 2011 and the new Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) will cater to this increasing capacity, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

THE RM200mil allocation to upgrade tourist spots and diversify tourism products will help the industry tremendously, says Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

"One of the biggest problems we face is maintenance because the state governments do not have a big budget for it.

"Hopefully, with the RM200mil, we can pull in more people," she said, adding that the country's target this year was 20 million tourists.

She said the 50% rebate on landing charges to all airlines operating from Malaysia would also help bring in more visitors. The rebate, she added, was one of the Government's strategies to attract more flights and thus improve connectivity between airlines.

"The Government is also focusing on budget travellers and that is why they are looking to upgrade the LCCT," she said after the tabling of the mini-budget yesterday.

This article is a verbatim copy of the original article from The Star.