MELAKA, Aug 6 — The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture has given an assurance that no element of discrimination is allowed in the tourism profession.

Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Santhara Kumar said more employers are now accepting workers regardless of gender, location, race or language when conducting recruitment sessions.

"Most employers in this field accept those who are fluent in Bahasa Malaysia and English. There is no language discrimination and if you can speak another language, it is even better,” he said.

He told reporters after visiting the 2022 Tourism Career Fair at Dataran Sungai Melaka, in conjunction with the Magic of the Night 2022 programme here today.

He also urged young people to change their perception of employment in tourism, and make it a career platform for the future.

"Many think that working at a hotel means working at the front desk or cleaning rooms, while there are many other areas in this sector. But everything has to start from the bottom, which is the front desk. When they have worked for two or three years and gained a lot of experience, they will move up.

"Hence, I hope young people seize the opportunity to start a career in tourism, which is always growing, and this 2022 Tourism Career Fair can be used as a starting point for those who want to work in the tourism industry, such as in hospitality or aviation,” he said.

The three-day 2022 Tourism Career Fair, starting yesterday, saw the participation of 15 employers, with 1,012 job opportunities on offer, covering five sub-sectors, namely hospitality (477), land transport (249), highway construction (165), air transport (100) and theme parks (21).

Of the total of vacancies on offer, 906 of them offered a monthly salary ranging between RM1,500 and RM2,000 while 106 positions offered successful job seekers a basic salary of more than RM2,000 per month. — Bernama