JOHOR BARU: The Johor government is prioritising domestic tourists in the development of the state’s tourism sector as part of efforts to strengthen the industry sustainably.
Johor Mentri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said locals would be among the first to enjoy improved tourism facilities and attractions provided by the state government.
He said the approach could already be seen at the Johor Zoo, where locals are charged RM10 for entry compared with RM30 for foreign visitors.
According to him, the state government is also upgrading facilities at several major leisure locations in the city, including Taman Merdeka, the Royal Johor Botanical Gardens and Hutan Bandar Johor Bahru.
“I want to emphasise to the Johor people that in terms of leisure and recreation, they are given priority first, and there will be many more products that will be launched this year,” he said.
Onn Hafiz said while the state recognised the importance of foreign tourists, Johor also wanted to ensure a balance by strengthening support for domestic visitors.
“We are confident that when our own people are proud of our tourism products, they will become ‘third-party validators’ to promote good things about this state,” he said.
He added that several tourism products across the state had also been upgraded, including the Gunung Ledang Waterfall and Kampung Sungai Melayu, both of which have strong potential as ecotourism destinations.
The strategy aligns with the state’s Visit Johor Year 2026 initiative, which focuses on strengthening support for both domestic and international tourists.
Johor has set a target of generating RM42 billion in direct and indirect tourism revenue during Visit Johor Year 2026, based on an estimated 12 million tourist arrivals throughout the year.
To support the effort, the state government has allocated RM116.35mil between 2024 and 2025 to upgrade public facilities, enhance tourism attractions and improve the overall visitor experience.
