WITH the ‘red shirt’ rally expected to go ahead in Kuala Lumpur’s Padang Merbok tomorrow, Malaysian inbound tour operators are avoiding tours in the area due to concerns over safety.
Coinciding with Malaysia Day tomorrow, the controversial rally is organised by Malay groups to counter the recent Bersih 4 rally, purportedly dominated by Chinese.
Several travel managers have reported cancellations from neighbouring countries.
Yap Sook Ling, managing director of Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, said: “Our tours in Kuala Lumpur go on as usual but we will avoid the areas affected by the rally.”
Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, said his company has cancelled city tours in the daytime as “anything can happen, and depending on the situation tomorrow, we may schedule a night tour of Kuala Lumpur”.
According to Das, two student groups from Singapore have cancelled their trips for this coming weekend.
Raaj Navaratnaa, general manager of New Asia Holiday Tours & Travel in Johor, said: “We had a big meeting group of 600 pax from Singapore planning to have their meeting in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month cancelled because of the rally. They are instead going to Thailand.
“Safety is paramount to tourists. I anticipate a much bigger drop in the coming weeks if the government does not control the crowd in tomorrow’s rally,” he said.
“Having this rally will change the perception of Malaysia as a multi-racial and harmonious country, which is what Malaysia has all this while been known for.”
