TOURISM SELANGOR: Showcasing the Microcosm of Malaysia

Showcasing the Microcosm of Malaysia

Selangor is a major contributor to tourism in Malaysia, and as the State’s official tourism promotion agency, Tourism Selangor has been instrumental in ensuring the growth and sustainability of the sector. General Manager Azrul Shah Mohamad reveals his vision for its future during its 20^th anniversary in 2021.

“2020 was a very challenging and eventful year. I had taken over as the General Manager of Tourism Selangor in January, and not long after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit Malaysia and we underwent the first Movement Control Order.

Our priority then was to ensure that tourism players in Selangor were able to weather the storm, as they were not able to operate during the MCO. Because of the restrictions on international travel, we shifted the focus to promoting domestic tourism.

As such, we launched our Pusing Selangor Dulu (Go Round Selangor) campaign in June 2020. In addition, we also helped the State government deliver incentives worth RM2.6 million to help tourism players in Selangor

Selangor Has It All

One problem we’ve faced in Tourism Selangor is that people, especially international tourists, often confuse Selangor with Kuala Lumpur. There are those who say they have never been to Selangor, but when asked, they say they have been to places like Bangi which is in Selangor. And of course the airport, KLIA, is also in Sepang, Selangor.

At the same time, another challenge is that people do not know the full extent of what Selangor offers for tourism. Very often, people just think of Selangor in the context of the Klang Valley and shopping malls. But we have much more than that – from ecotourism to medical tourism to agro-tourism to adventure tourism to food tourism.

Through Pusing Selangor Dulu, we are showcasing the distinctive experiences that people can enjoy in Selangor. And as difficult as it has been, one silver lining of the pandemic is that it has made people consider domestic travel when planning their holidays.

I am also proud that we are the first State tourism promotion agency to have our own Campaign Ambassador, namely the renowned actress Che Puan Juliana Evans, who has more than a million followers on Instagram.

Towards Smart Tourism

Moving forward, we are going to focus on digitalisation and work towards realising Tourism 4.0. In Selangor, we have the Smart Selangor plan, and it is only right that we also have Smart Tourism.

We also plan to continue participating in local and international travel fairs. This is important, because even if international travel is still going to be restricted, we need to get Selangor’s name and brand out there. That is also why we are also enhancing our advertising initiatives on various digital platforms.

Our big plan for 2021 is the Tourism Selangor Convention. We are planning this for November, and aim to invite tourism promotion agencies from the world.

When it is time to travel, I warmly welcome everyone to uncover Selangor’s many tourism attractions and invite you to Pusing Selangor Dulu.”