JOHOR BAHRU: The tourism ministers of ASEAN member countries have agreed on the need to promote secondary and tertiary tourism locations to combat overtourism, Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (MOTAC) secretary-general Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman said.
He added that opening up alternative locations would not only help to mitigate overtourism but also create new opportunities for member countries.
“ASEAN (tourism) ministers did not discuss overtourism per se but did discuss to open up less popular areas.
“ASEAN members realise not to focus only on one or two locations but to give tourists a chance to visit secondary and tertiary areas,” he told reporters in a press conference at the conclusion of the ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting and ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting with dialogue partners here today.
The meeting was held in conjunction with the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2025, which took place at a hotel here from Jan 15 until today.
Themed “Unity in Motion: Shaping ASEAN’s Tourism Tomorrow”, the ATF 2025 aims to promote regional tourism products, facilitate knowledge sharing, build valuable networking and enhance cooperation with global tourism leaders to boost tourist arrivals in ASEAN.
Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk P Manoharan was quoted as saying on Jan 16 that Malaysia was addressing the risks of overtourism by focusing on sustainable tourism practices and infrastructure development to protect its natural and cultural heritage.
He said although Malaysia has not experienced widespread overtourism, certain locations, such as Semporna in Sabah, were beginning to encounter challenges.
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