Malaysia to replace ‘embarrassing’ tourism logo
The controversial logo
The Visit Malaysia 2020 logo that was highly criticised by many when it was first introduced back in January by then Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, is all set to get a replacement. The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is planning a contest to find its replacement.
The logo, modelled after a postage stamp, features the Petronas Twin Towers, and an orang utan hugging a proboscis monkey and turtle on a beach donning sunglasses and bears the tagline: Travel. Enjoy. Respect. The tourism minister described the logo saying that it should look fun and colourful and the various symbols used in the logo were iconic to Malaysia. The logo was launched at the Asean Tourism Forum 2018 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Many people who saw the logo that has been criticised as “amateurish”, said that they could do much better and true to their word, there were quite a number of redesigned logos circulating on social media that looked way more professional in style.
To get a good replacement for the logo, Tourism Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said that they are planning to hold a contest. “It will be an open contest this time. The idea is to get a proper design with Malaysians joining in to give their perspective,” the minister explained.
The details of the contests will be announced later after they will have a discussion at the ministerial level soon to determine the process. It is also unclear whether the ministry will go for a complete redesign or just modify the existing one. Mohamaddin feels that there is ample time to work on the logo.