Tourism Malaysia has appointed Zainuddin Abdul Wahab as the new director-general, effective September 13. He replaces Zulkifly Md Said who has retired.
Zainuddin was previously the senior director of management of Tourism Malaysia and also assumed the duties of deputy director-general (planning).
No stranger to the civil service, he was the director general of the Islamic Tourism Center before being appointed director of the Production Division and senior director of the Strategic Planning Division at Tourism Malaysia.
In his new role, Zainuddin will continue to assist in the recovery efforts of the tourism industry alongside driving progress towards the digitalisation of the National Tourism Policy, said Tourism Malaysia in a press statement.
Uzaidi Udanis, president of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, described Zainuddin as a dedicated and experienced person who knew the market well.
“I am confident he is the right person to help the tourism industry recover. I hope he will also have regular interactions with the industry to find best solutions for the recovery of the tourism sector,” Uzaidi said.
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents secretary-general, Nigel Wong, commented: “We hope that Tourism Malaysia under the leadership of Zainuddin will look at fresh and innovative ways to promote Malaysia and form more intimate engagement with industry stakeholders – smart public-private relationships like these are the key to quicker tourism recovery.”
