Taxi drivers' attitude, safety aspect crucial to woo more tourists to Kuala Lumpur

Attitude of taxi drivers and safety aspect should be emphasised to get more more tourists to come to the federal capital, which has been ranked the seventh best value city break destination by the world's largest travel site, TripAdvisor, recently.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Hamzah Rahmat said many taxi drivers had a lackadaisical attitude, where some of them were rude to passengers and did not want to use the meter.

"Taxi drivers, as the country's small ambassadors, should show good examples by appreciating tourists because it is part of their job to bring passengers to desired destinations," he told Bernama here.

He said the relevant authorities should conduct more frequent monitoring to ensure problems raised by taxi passengers could be addressed promptly.

Patrols and enforcement should also be stepped up at tourist destinations to ensure safety of the visitors, he added.

Meanwhile, the owner of Elaf Al Massa Travel & Tours, Awiah Maarip said Kuala Lumpur could attract more visitors by having more factory outlets equipped with hotel facilities and shuttle service.

She said Kuala Lumpur would also made a good venue for summer camps as there were many recreational areas in the city.

"We should also have special flights from countries in southern Europe, like Russia and Kazakhstan, especially during the cold season, to encourage them to holiday in Malaysia," she added.

Tourism and Culture Ministry deputy secretary-general (tourism), Datuk Rashidi Hasbullah said various activities had been carried out like 'Cuti-cuti Malaysia, promotion of 1,001 packages and railway tourism, with the cooperation of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), to attract more foreign tourists to Malaysia, especially Kuala Lumpur.

He said an application, known as 'Malaysia Trip Planner', had been developed to assist tourists on locating places of attractions and events held in the country through their smart phones.

"The ministry, with the cooperation of the local authorities, also plan to make other towns in the country as destinations for tourists by having more family parks, centres for indoor and outdoor activities," he added.