Tourism Malaysia encourages people to holiday in Singapore (but Bilahari Kausikan is sceptical)

In a bit of cross-border love, Tourism Malaysia made a shoutout to its counterpart in Singapore in a show of solidarity during a time when the tourism sectors in both countries are taking a brutal beating from the impact of Covid-19. 

In a post on its Facebook page on Wednesday (Nov 11), Tourism Malaysia surprised everyone by promoting tourism in Singapore. 

“Take a Singapoliday,” the organisation enthused, taking a page from Burger King’s recent ad that asked fans to order from competing fast-food chains to support businesses affected by the pandemic. 

Indeed, business on both sides of the border have been severely impacted by the lack of inbound travellers, and Tourism Malaysia knows that the Singapore Tourism Board (STB)’s domestic vacationing campaign #SingapoRediscovers could use some signal boost. 

“We would never have imagined encouraging you to spend your holidays in Singapore, but our friends in the tourism industry could use your support at the moment,” wrote Tourism Malaysia. “While we dream of soaking under the sun in Pulau Redang, Sentosa is just as good for now.” 

The post was warmly received by Singaporeans and, of course, the Singapore Tourism Board, which gamely replied. 

There was some doubt, however, and retired diplomat Bilahari Kausikan tried to call it out for some reason. The former Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t think the post was real. 

Folks pointed out that it totally is. 

The former top diplomat — who was recently accused of acting as an “agent” for a foreign power — stood corrected later on, but still expressed some scepticism. 

Tourism Malaysia’s post has since been edited and replaced with a simple string of emojis showcasing Malaysia’s love for Singapore.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/malaysia.travel.sg/posts/3555713817801092[/embed]

ilyas@asiaone.com