Bert van Walbeek told the Global Tourism Cities Conference 2016 here that several websites claim Kuala Lumpur is a dangerous city and beer consumption is banned in Malaysia. ― Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 ― Malaysia must tackle perceptions that its tourism destinations are dangerous and that alcohol cannot be consumed here, a crisis management expert said today.

Bert van Walbeek, managing director of The Winning Edge that handles crisis prevention projects, told the Global Tourism Cities Conference 2016 here that several websites claim Kuala Lumpur is a dangerous city and beer consumption is banned in Malaysia.

“I don’t see you as, tourism destinations, answer that perception and try to change that perception. Most of you have not even noticed these websites,” van Walbeek said.

van Walbeek, who is also vice president of Area Business Development at the Asia Pacific for Safehotels Alliance, highlighted worldatlas.com that lists four cities in Malaysia as among the most dangerous cities in Asia ― Kuala Lumpur (second), Petaling Jaya (third), Klang (fifth), and Johor Baru (10th).

The website describes Malaysia’s capital as a city that has “high crime rates”, including snatch theft, pickpockets and serious crimes like murder, rape and robbery, besides tourist-fleecing taxis.

van Walbeek also said stories can be found with a Google search of the perception that one can’t drink beer in Malaysia.

“Drinking beer or alcohol for tourism is important. I’m not preaching you have to be alcoholics, but it’s important.

“You have to think about that. I think you’ll lose tourists on this one,” he said.

He suggested that Malaysia implement a hotline for tourists, a tourism crisis committee, a tourism emergency manual, a social media team to monitor crises, and a tourism police team.

A Malaysia Airlines passenger complained last month on social media about not being served alcohol on his flight from Kuala Lumpur to and fro Phuket, Thailand. The national carrier later issued a statement saying that it stopped serving alcohol on flights under three hours’ long starting January 1 this year to accommodate the “preference of the majority of customers” who are Malaysians.