In a Facebook post, the former deputy tourism, arts and culture minister said daily visitors such as border residents commuting for work, business or studies should not be classified as tourists.
“If we are talking about tourists, only tourist data should be considered, without including daily visitor numbers.
“To be classified as a tourist, one must stay overnight and spend money. But this is not the case.
“Don’t deceive the prime minister by claiming that the 38 million figure reflects (your) outstanding performance,” she wrote on Facebook.
Last week, Tiong announced that his ministry would revise its visitor arrival target for Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026), which was previously set at 36 million.
He said this decision was made following the ministry’s “extraordinary achievement” in attracting 38 million tourists last year.
Mas Ermieyati claimed the 38 million figure comprised 13 million daily visitors and 25 million foreign tourists.
She also said the ministry’s current calculations did not follow the guidelines set by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“This is incorrect and unacceptable. We cannot classify daily visitors as tourists. The minister is merely chasing numbers, whereas Tourism Malaysia has followed UNWTO’s standards for years,” she said.
As Perikatan Nasional’s chairman for tourism, arts and culture, Mas Ermieyati urged the ministry to collaborate with the immigration, customs and statistics departments to obtain more accurate data.
“We need to determine the purpose of visitors entering Malaysia and whether they contribute to the economy.
“For example, some truck drivers enter Malaysia from Singapore to deliver goods without spending anything.
“They use their own trucks. What would be the relevance of counting them as tourists?” she asked.
Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram