Johor turns to Indonesian travellers to boost tourist arrivals in 2019

Johor Tourism Board's steering head Abdul Malik Ismail is looking to collaborate with the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (ASITA) to increase the number of tourist arrivals in the state.He was quoted to be stating that Indonesia is anticipated to contribute approximately three to four million tourists, bringing the total number of tourist arrivals in Johor to 17 million in 2019, The Jakarta Post reported. To achieve that number, Johor introduced a variety of programmes for Indonesians, including medical tourism. More facilities and tourist destinations will also be opening in 2019, such as Hard Rock Hotel in Desaru. Malik added that Johor will be opening more direct flights from Indonesian cities.Statistics from Tourism Malaysia showed that the number of tourism arrivals from Indonesia to Malaysia in 2017 stood at approximately 2.8 million. Last year, Malaysia generated approximately RM82.2 billion worth of tourism receipts.Meanwhile, Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB) reported 11.8 million passenger movements in August 2018 through its network of airports, with international passengers growing by 3.2% to 5.6 million. MAHB noted an increase in passenger movements for Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the Africa regions last month, with countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, China, India and South Korea, among others, registering a growth compared to August 2017.