Malaysia has received requests from 13 countries to train their tourism officials in the promotion and marketing of tourism products besides attracting foreign investors, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Tourism Minister said the countries included Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Gabon, Syria, Sudan, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

The Tourism Ministry will produce the module with the assistance of the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan), he told reporters after receiving Yemeni Tourism Minister Nabil Al Fakih and Mozambican Deputy Tourism Minister Rosario Mualeia in conjunction with the World Tourism Conference 2007 here today.

Attended by 826 participants from 72 countries, the three-day conference beginning yesterday deliberates on the tourism industry’s sustainable growth, marketing, product development and collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Tengku Adnan said that as a follow-up of the training, participants would help woo companies from their countries to invest in the tourism sector in Malaysia.

Commenting on reports about a group of tourists who could not check-in to a hotel in Melaka last Saturday despite having made the reservation, Tengku Adnan said he left it to Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam to resolve the matter.

"We will also investigate the report. Stern measures, including revoking the licences of those responsible, would be taken if they were at fault," he said.

Last Saturday, 360 tourists were left in a lurch at a Melaka hotel which failed to accommodate them despite them having booked the rooms three months ago and having paid a deposit of RM7,000.