Terengganu’s tourism profile under the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) is expected to change where it is expected to attract 30 percent foreign tourists by 2020, compared to its current 89 percent from the domestic market.

Prof Dr Amran Hamzah, who is involved in ECER’s tourism study, said the state would target up to 30 percent of high-end tourism by increasing activities related to island, coastal and marine tourism.

He said the resorts on Pulau Redang and Pulau Perhentian would also be subjected to an accreditation system such as Green Globe which would ensure that they implemented sustainable tourism principles.

“International tourists do not mind paying a premium to ensure that fragile island resources such as coral reefs are protected,” he said.

“A key component in pulling in high-end tourism dollars is the proposed new development of Kuala Terengganu City Centre which encompasses the mouth of Sungai Terengganu, to include Pulau Duyong and extending from the town along the coast to the airport,” he said in a statement released by ECER secretariat here Wednesday.

He said the city centre development would see the building of a water sports amphitheatre, hotels and luxury accommodation, waterfront residential and commercial buildings, silverware and handicraft centre, traditional boat building yard, maritime centre signature mosques and integrated shopping malls.

“Within Kuala Terengganu City Centre, there will be improvements to the river frontage and Pulau Duyong.

“Pulau Duyong will be the main focus and will retain much of its flavour of traditional village and boat building activities. At the same time, it will be the symbol of maritime events such as the Monsoon Cup,” he said.

Amran said with the positioning of Kuala Terengganu as a maritime and cultural tourism destination as well as the development of Pulau Duyong and Pulau Wan Man, high-yield West Asians should also be attracted to Terengganu during their summer months of July to September.

“This will tie in nicely with Kuala Terengganu achieving city status on Jan 1, 2008 and the new free zone at the airport which will also serve as the main tourism gateway for the ECER,” he said.

Tourism is one of Malaysia’s major foreign exchange earners, second only to the manufacturing industry.

The country’s tourism receipts of about RM36.3 billion in 2006 represented an increase of 14 percent from the RM32 billion earned in 2005.

He said cruise tourism was proposed for Kuala Terengganu to optimise its role as a tourism hub for the ECER, to take advantage of the city’s strategic location.

“Through cruise tourism, packages such as island hopping and heritage/nature tours could be developed by the local tourism industry,” he said.