MELAKA, Sept 6 — The Melaka government is in talks with several airline companies from India in an effort to attract more tourists to the state, especially from South India.
State Tourism, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis said this was based on the potential seen through visits and discussions conducted with the Indian Ministry of Tourism recently.
“We see the tourism potential, especially from states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which have a vast population and the majority of them are from the middle-income group who possess a high purchasing power.
“In this regard, we are in discussions with several companies to have direct flights from India into this country via the Melaka International Airport,” he told reporters here today.
Earlier, Muhammad Jailani officiated at the Melaka Bridal Festival at one of the shopping centres in Peringgit, with Tourism Promotion Division general manager Saari Basiron also present.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Jailani said the state government is aiming for more than 200,000 visitors to visit Melaka during the ongoing school holidays.
He said that the target could be achieved based on the number of visitors to major tourist attractions such as the Melaka River Cruise, Menara Taming Sari and Melaka Zoo, which recorded a ticket collection of over 20,000 daily from Friday to Sunday.
“We have also been informed that more than 48,000 hotel rooms throughout the state are fully booked throughout the school holidays until Sunday,” he said.
