The warning not to travel to Southeast Asian countries due to threats of terrorism will lead to a sharp decline in the number of tourists visiting Malaysia, said Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir today.

The minister said the drop was expected to be around 100,000 to 300,000 every month following the travel advisory issued by several countries.

He added that although Malaysia's tourism promotions were receiving good response abroad, the inclusion of the country in the advisory has roused fear among these tourists.

"Our forecast now is only between one million and 1.1 million (tourists every month) compared with 1.3 million before, which is 100,000 to 300,000 less from what we've hoped for," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Abdul Kadir was commenting on the travel advisory issued by the United States, Australia and several other European countries to their citizens on visiting Southeast Asian countries.

'Baseless' warning

On Nov 20, the US warned that attacks similar to last month's Bali bombings which killed nearly 200 people could take place in other Southeast Asian nations, including Malaysia.

In a public announcement, the State Department said it was worried that the Jemaah Islamiah suspected of playing a role in the Oct 12 Bali incident could target Westerners outside Indonesia.

However, Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai described the warning as "baseless" and called on the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur to provide details on the matter.

The police chief said they were working closely with their Indonesian counterparts and added that it was it was unlikely that those behind the Bali blasts could have escaped to Malaysia.

On Monday, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the travel advisory could have a severe impact on the fragile economies in the region.

"In the first place, the travel warning is not necessary. If you want to discourage the development of countries, this is the best way of punishing the countries.

"They would not be able to grow, their trade and investments will suffer. Tourism, which is a very big source of income, will also suffer," said the minister in a CNN interview.