'Appalling' Malaysian tourism logo to stay says tourism chief | Inquirer News

‘Appalling’ Malaysian tourism logo to stay says tourism chief

/ 04:52 PM February 01, 2018

The Visit Malaysia 2020 logo. Image: Courtesy of Tourism Minister

A Malaysian tourism campaign logo featuring cartoon animals wearing sunglasses which was widely panned online will stay despite the criticisms, the tourism minister said Wednesday.

The “Visit Malaysia 2020” logo features drawings of Malaysian animals — including an orangutan wrapping an arm around the shoulders of a proboscis monkey — set against garish, multi-coloured fonts with the slogan “Travel. Enjoy. Respect”.

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Malaysian netizens have widely criticized the logo as dated and an eye-sore.

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But Tourism Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz has refused to budge.

“I still stick to the same logo, no change,” he told AFP in brief comments.

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An online petition has been launched on change.org to demand the tourism ministry to stop using the design.

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“The design is appalling. It looks cheap and does not represent the country, the people and its history,” said the petition, which has garnered 9,873 signatures by Wednesday afternoon.

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“The public were not consulted. This petition is to STOP Tourism Malaysia from using the design. It makes a mockery of Malaysia and her rich history. It is alienating the rakyat (people). It has to go,” it said.

In interviews with local media, the tourism minister explained why the animals wore shades.

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“It is to show that Malaysia is a sunny country with beautiful beaches and that we are into conservation of the environment,” he told the New Straits Times.

But many Malaysian netizens were not placated.

“How to create a viral campaign in Malaysia? Launch an ugly logo,” fumed Mohd Hisham Saleh on Twitter:

Muhammad Hanafi Muhamad added on Facebook: “It’s a mockery to Malaysians’ graphic design level.”

Some designers quickly offered their own alternative versions online.

Malaysia, which boasts of white-sand beaches, colourful diving spots, tropical forests and a variety of cultures, welcomed nearly 26.8 million visitors in 2016. AB

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A newlyweds returning from honeymoon were also among the victims of the crash, just two weeks after tying the knot at a ceremony on Dec. 13. A 32-year-old woman who was about to get married next spring was also among those who took the flight. A father who took his two sons on a trip to Bangkok was found to have died in the tragedy as well. The family was celebrating the elder son recently being accepted to university. A 30-year-old reporter at a Gwangju-based media outlet was one of the passengers of the flight 7C 2216, along with her 33-year-old husband. The vacation was a reward from the reporter's company, during which she posted a photo of a hotel swimming pool in Bangkok on her Instagram saying, "The weather here is so great, it's like early summer." A 50-year-old woman aboard the flight took the trip after surviving a yearlong cancer treatment. It was her first overseas trip since her honeymoon with her husband, who had passed away three years ago. The oldest victim in the accident, a 79-year-old man, was returning from a trip that was arranged by his family. His wife, two daughters and one of his son-in-laws, his granddaughter and three grandsons were also on board. Forty-one of the passengers aboard the flight were on the return leg of a package tour that left Muan International Airport on Christmas night. Of the 175 passengers, 103 were aged at least 50, while 14 were under the age of 20. The Ministry of Education on Monday announced that four of the victims were in elementary school, three in middle school, three in high school, and one was attending a local daycare center.
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A newlyweds returning from honeymoon were also among the victims of the crash, just two weeks after tying the knot at a ceremony on Dec. 13. A 32-year-old woman who was about to get married next spring was also among those who took the flight. A father who took his two sons on a trip to Bangkok was found to have died in the tragedy as well. The family was celebrating the elder son recently being accepted to university. A 30-year-old reporter at a Gwangju-based media outlet was one of the passengers of the flight 7C 2216, along with her 33-year-old husband. The vacation was a reward from the reporter's company, during which she posted a photo of a hotel swimming pool in Bangkok on her Instagram saying, "The weather here is so great, it's like early summer." A 50-year-old woman aboard the flight took the trip after surviving a yearlong cancer treatment. It was her first overseas trip since her honeymoon with her husband, who had passed away three years ago. The oldest victim in the accident, a 79-year-old man, was returning from a trip that was arranged by his family. His wife, two daughters and one of his son-in-laws, his granddaughter and three grandsons were also on board. Forty-one of the passengers aboard the flight were on the return leg of a package tour that left Muan International Airport on Christmas night. Of the 175 passengers, 103 were aged at least 50, while 14 were under the age of 20. The Ministry of Education on Monday announced that four of the victims were in elementary school, three in middle school, three in high school, and one was attending a local daycare center.
TAGS: eye-sore, logo, Malaysia, Tourism

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