Nazri poses for a photo with a Petronas Twin Towers souvenir item at a gift shop at Central Market. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has dismissed claims by several international portals that Kuala Lumpur is one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
He said foreign tourists should come to Malaysia to find out for themselves whether Kuala Lumpur was a safe tourist destination.
“We cannot do anything because when we say KL is safe, they do not believe. So, I am inviting all foreign tourists to visit Malaysia and see for themselves how safe the city of KL is,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Central Market here yesterday.
He was commenting on claims by several international portals that Kuala Lumpur was one of the most unsafe cities now.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Nazri also rubbished claims that foreign tourists were not visiting KL now because its new logo and tagline were not attractive. “Only a small number of people said the logo is unattractive. It is very subjective. This is not a big issue and has no effect on tourists,” he said.
In a separate development, Nazri said his ministry was ready to form the tourism police team as proposed in the Global Tourism Cities Conference 2016, two days ago.
He said if needed, Malaysia did not have any problems forming the team or tourism courts throughout the country.
Commenting on his visit to the Central Market, Nazri said it has always attracted foreign tourists because it showcased the diverse cultures in Malaysia.
He said last year, the historical 128-year-old building received 4.2 million tourists. Nazri also said 80 per cent of the traders in Central Market were locals while only 20 per cent were foreigners. — Bernama