Food and beverages represents one of the core components of tourist spend. Given the increase in arrivals as well as the shift towards high-yield tourists, there is an opportunity to increase GNI from food and beverage outlets by RM3.6 billion in 2020. This will be achieved through an increase in the number of food and beverage outlets which will be driven by additional demand arising from growth in the number of tourist arrivals. We estimate the food and beverage segments will require approximately RM1.4 billion in capital expenditure. An estimated 9,600 job opportunities will also be generated due to this business opportunity, though these will predominantly be positions for lower-wage service workers given the nature of the industry.
Tourists spend about 10 percent of total expenditure (about RM230 per visit) on local transportation. A signifcant portion of that is spent on taxis, which has contributed to the 5 percent growth in the number of taxis from 2007 to 2009. Additional taxis to support further growth will be required not only in the Klang Valley, but also in the other tourism clusters in the North (Penang), South (Melaka and Johor), Sabah (Kota Kinabalu) and Sarawak (Kuching), that are being developed through EPPs such as the Integrated Resort and Cruise Tourism. Specifc EPPs, such as the Global Biodiversity Hub, which promote development of tourism sites away from traditional city centres, will also increase the need for local transportation and taxis.
Overall, the GNI impact is expected to be RM0.7 billion with 45,000 jobs generated by 2020. Total capital expenditure required is estimated to be RM1.2 billion.
Given the increase in arrivals, there is an opportunity to increase GNI from the tour operator segment by RM0.9 billion in 2020. This will be accomplished through an increase in the number of travel agents, an improvement in the productivity of travel agents and an increase in the number of tour guides to serve more inbound tourists to Malaysia. Additional capital expenditure of RM1.1 billion will be required and it is expected that this will generate 7,450 additional jobs, including 2,300 additional tour guides.