SELANGOR PROPOSES TO EXTEND VSY 2025 CAMPAIGN TO ALIGN WITH VISIT MALAYSIA 2026 – EXCO

KLANG, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- The Selangor government proposes to extend the Visit Selangor Year (VSY) 2025 campaign to next year in an effort to further promote the state's interesting places.

State Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said the announcement regarding the campaign will be made by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari soon.

He said this move aligns with the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM 2026) campaign to increase the number of tourists and diversify the promotion of interesting places, especially in Selangor.

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“This is because Selangor plays an important role in ensuring the number of domestic and international tourists coming to Malaysia. Selangor is a gateway to Malaysia. So, we have to work hard to ensure that we, Selangor, move forward together," he said.

He said this while speaking at the Selangor Local Community Host (HKSS) Graduation Ceremony for the Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam districts in 2025, held here today, which was also attended by Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Chua Yee Ling.

Ng said HKSS plays an important role as a small ambassador in empowering community-based tourism, in line with the state government's aspiration to make the sector a driver of agro-tourism, especially in rural areas.

In other developments, Ng plans to meet with homestay operators across the state to give an explanation regarding the legalisation process for homestays and lodging houses operating without valid licences.

He said this move was implemented to ensure that the business is carried out in an orderly manner and complies with the laws and conditions outlined by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and local authorities.

Meanwhile, Ng said the state government would establish a committee under Tourism Selangor to prepare for the recognition of the Gombak-Hulu Langat (GHL) Geopark as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Earlier, 49 participants in HKSS programme from the Kuala Selangor and Sabak Bernam districts were celebrated at the event, while 18 companies and individuals received the Selangor Iconic Product Award 2024, and nine companies received the Malaysia Tourism Quality Assurance (MyTQA) Certificate of Participation.

These graduates completed their three-month training and were awarded certificates of appreciation from Tourism Selangor after undergoing training under the Department of Skills Development (JPK) and MOTAC.

Throughout the training, participants were exposed to four main modules: heritage asset mapping; interpretation activities; visitor hosting services; and the sustainability of community host careers.

Launched in 2018, the HKSS programme received full support from local authorities, including the Kuala Selangor Municipal Council and the Sabak Bernam District Council, and it provided an opportunity for the community to showcase the natural beauty, cultural heritage and rural experiences in Selangor, from the padi fields in Sekinchan to the fireflies in Kampung Kuantan (Kuala Selangor).

One participant, Ummi Nabilah Shafry, 32, said that through the programme, she was taught how to promote Selangor as well as local products and unique features that are not known to the public.

For another participant, Choo Siew Joon, 55, the programme helped to increase her knowledge of local uniqueness, and the modules provided were very interesting because they helped entrepreneurs be more creative in finding attractive local places.

-- BERNAMA