TOURISM Minister Azalina Othman Said took a ride on the KL HopOn and HopOff tour coach recently just to get a first-hand experience of the service.

The city tour coaches which were launched last year is a boost for tourism.

The coaches are equipped with a stunning audio-visual system using nine different languages to highlight and promote Malaysia's tourism attractions.

Azalina said such services should also be incorporated in other states, especially in Malacca.

"The concept where all our major destinations and products are shown through the audio-visual facility in the coaches will definitely be a boost to the tourism industry," she said.

According to its concessionaire Elang Wah Sdn Bhd's managing director Syed Azhar Syed Nadzir, the tour coaches had been well received since it was introduced.

"We can accommodate up to 200 passengers daily and about 95% who use the service are foreigners. We are in the midst of increasing our volume to 400 people on a daily basis," he said.

Syed Azhar said there were currently eight coaches and that there were plans to add two more vehicles as response was encouraging.