Malaysia is selling itself as a golf paradise and summer home to lure one million Japanese tourists to the country by 2005, a report said today.

Tourism Minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir was quoted by The Star newspaper as saying Japanese arrivals rose to half a million last year from 288,000 in

The ministry would aggressively promote homestay programs and golf to tap the vast Japanese market, he said.

"By next year or at the latest by 2005, the target of one million (Japanese) arrivals should be realised," he said.

English-speaking tourists

Abdul Kadir said the ministry had also set a target to attract more English-speaking tourists and those from Islamic countries like Turkey, Iran and Pakistan.

He urged hoteliers to extend discounts and privileges to woo tourists back in the aftermath of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars).

Malaysia last week lifted all measures, including visa restrictions, put in place to curb the spread of Sars on news that the epidemic has been contained worldwide after killing more than 800 people.

Although Malaysia recorded only five probable Sars cases, its tourism industry, the second largest foreign exchange earner, was devastated by fears over the outbreak in the region.

Arrivals in the five months to May plunged 27.40 percent compared to the same period last year. Tour agents said business had now picked up and bookings for July and August were encouraging.

Last year, a total of 13.30 million tourists visited Malaysia but arrivals this year are expected to drop due to the fallout from the Iraq war and the Sars epidemic. - AFP