A conservative Malaysian state will establish a waterfall site exclusively for women to picnic and bathe, to attract Middle Eastern tourists to holiday there, a report said yesterday.
Terengganu state's chief minister said the initiative was prompted by requests from Middle Eastern countries, whose strict Islamic practices prohibit women from bathing in the presence of men.
"We are still looking for the appropriate site. Only women can patronise that area, no men would be allowed," Ahmad Said told the Star daily.
"Tourists from certain West Asian countries are also keen for us to establish an exclusive picnic site for women," he said.
The state on Malaysia's east coast, lapped by the waters of the South China Sea, is a popular tourist destination for its white sand beaches, turtle sanctuaries and waterfall sites.
Muslim Malaysians, who make up the majority of the multi-ethnic population, often swim at the beach or waterfalls, with women typically fully clothed in long pants and dark blouses.
Ahmad said there were also plans to employ an all-women team to manage the site, including female security guards.
Malaysia's thriving tourism industry has seen a sharp rise in the number of big-spending tourists coming from the Middle East in recent years, attracted by the tropical country's Islamic image.
The tourism ministry is eyeing 400,000 tourists from Middle Eastern countries this year, state Bernama news agency reported citing tourism officials.
In 2007, Arab tourists contributed about 500 million dollars to the total tourism revenue.