To promote experiential tourism in Selangor, the Selangor State Government organised a trip to explore Bangkok with the Selangor Local Community Hosts and the Local Councils. The trip was organised by Tourism Selangor, the state’s official tourism promotion agency. With support from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and the Tourism Malaysia office in Bangkok, the journey lasted six days, from 28th September to 3rd October 2022.
The trip was led by the Honourable Mr. Hee Loy Sian, the Tourism and Environment Executive Committee and assisted by Mr. Azrul Shah bin Mohamad the Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Selangor. The programme showcased a series of Community Based Tourism in Bangkok including Float House River Kwai Resort, Nang Loeng, Hua Takhe and Chatuchak Market, as recommended by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
According to Mr. Hee Loy Sian the Tourism and Environment Executive Committee, the State of Selangor has been actively involved in this program as Community based tourism ensures the tourism industry key players and communities enrich each other. Tourism Selangor has taken another step to play a significant role in creating networks and linkages among the various tourism sectors.
Six local councils—Klang Municipal Council, Sabak Bernam District Council, Kuala Selangor Municipal Council, Hulu Selangor Municipal Council, Kuala Langat Municipal Council, and Kajang Municipal Council—are collaborating in this programme to support the Selangor Local Community Hosts. This effort is also supported by the Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB).
The Selangor Community-Based Tourism in Bangkok is geared up to reform the Selangor tourism industry and improve several iconic tourism hotspots in Selangor. These iconic tourism hotspots include the Kuala Kubu Bharu in Hulu Selangor, the Sekinchan Paddy Field in Sabak Bernam, the Kampung Kuantan Fireflies Park in Kuala Selangor, the Klang Royal Town in Klang, the Kajang Heritage Centre and Mah Meri Cultural Village in Kuala Langat. Selangor is enriched with its accessibility and enabled it to attract over 10.2 million visitors as of 2021. This will be enhanced with the execution of Community-Based Tourism while ensuring Selangor Tourism products are competitive, innovative and in accordance with current trends and demands.
Bilateral relationships and co-managed programmes with other countries such as the Selangor Local Community Hosts will be able to intensify international travellings to Selangor. The efforts will directly contribute towards the Splendid Selangor, Take Me Anywhere! campaign, which is a global tourism marketing campaign by Tourism Selangor. The campaign is geared to establish Selangor as a prominent travel destination and to increase cooperation between the interested nations.