Malaysian minister slams rude staff hindering tourism: ‘do you know who I am?’
Tourism minister says Visit Malaysia 2026 success hinges on attitude, highlighting complaints of rudeness from tourists and locals alike
The tourism, arts and culture minister said he has received numerous complaints from both foreign and domestic tourists about the rudeness they faced when making inquiries.
“Some officers think they have a lot of power. But when people don’t understand certain issues, we must explain,” Tiong said when launching the Mesra Malaysia campaign in KL Sentral on Wednesday.
“But these officers tried to show their power … [some even said] ‘Do you know who I am?’ Let’s look at this issue seriously.”
Aside from foreign tourists, Tiong also said even Malaysians from rural areas were looked down upon by some government officers and retail outlet employees.
“When they asked questions, they were not answered nicely,” he said, adding that he will speak to shopping centre management about this after Lunar New Year.