Tourism Malaysia Office In Singapore To Get New Director

December 23, 2008 23:46 PM

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, Dec 23 (Bernama) Tourism Malaysia's office in Singapore will be helmed by a new director comes new year.

Its Kuala Lumpur-based deputy director for West Asia, Zalizam Zakaria, will replace Rafidah Idris, the current director whose stint here has been more than four years.

The Singapore office this evening held a farewell and welcoming reception for Rafidah dan Zalizam respectively at a hotel here attended by representatives of the tour and travel industry.

In her farewell remarks, Rafidah said the number of Singapore visitors to Malaysia had been on the rise since the last four years and she expects the target of 10.6 million set by the office for this year to be achieved by year-end.

She said that up to last month, tourist arrivals into Malaysia from Singapore had already reached the 9.9 million mark.

Zalizam, 47, who hails from Kelantan, said he would have to work harder than his predecessor as Tourism Malaysia had set a new target for the office to bring in 11 million Singapore tourists to Malaysia for next year.

-- BERNAMA

Sabah May Host Monsoon Cup Next Year - Azalina

November 30, 2008 17:27 PM

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- Sabah may host the Monsoon Cup Sailing Championship next year, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said the final decision rest with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Tourism Ministry has proposed the event not to be held at the same place every year but instead rotated among certain states, Azalina told reporters after holding a dialogue with non-government organisations and Sabah tour and travel agencies at Sutera Harbour Resort here, Sunday.

"Datuk Masidi Manjun (Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister) and me will discuss the proposal with the prime minister at the closing of the Monsoon Cup in Terengganu early next month," said Azalina.

She cited Sutera Harbour Resort as a suitable venue for the event should Sabah host the championship as the hotel could accommodate the participants and visitors.

-- BERNAMA

Azalina: Some tourism offices abroad to close

2008/11/27

KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Malaysia offices abroad risk closure if they do not bring in the projected number of tourists.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said the move was necessary because maintaining the offices were expensive and if they failed to meet their target, they would have to be closed down.

"We won't hesitate to do this, if the market is slow and the numbers projected do not come through.

"For example, if the offices in New York and Los Angeles are not doing well because of the decline in tourists, we will ask them to close shop immediately," she said, adding that it would be better to focus on the more aggressive markets such as those in the Middle East.

There are 44 Tourism Malaysia offices abroad, among them in Guangzhou, China; Perth, Australia; and Seoul, Korea, besides those operating in New York and Los Angeles.
Azalina said a review of the offices abroad would begin from January next year, and if the targets were not met by March, they would be closed.

The minister was speaking at a press conference following an annual meeting with Tourism Malaysia overseas directors, to review next year's tourism marketing strategy and plans in light of the global economic slowdown.

"We are already changing our approach of promoting the country in our advertisements overseas by showing more visuals of unknown places such as Danau Labaung in Sabah.

She added that the ministry would also be announcing a new target number for next year's tourist arrivals during the cabinet meeting on Dec 3.

"The tourism consultative council will meet before that to deliberate on the issue.

"Earlier, the target was 22.9 million tourist arrivals. We will review this target, as we have a lot of factors to consider such as the economic crisis, which would affect the number of tourists."

On strategies to woo more tourists next year, Azalina said the ministry would focus more on collaborations with neighbouring countries and online marketing to promote Malaysia.

"We are also looking at suggestions by neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore on reducing technicalities and adopting a more open policy for all our citizens."

Azalina also said that the ministry was planning to set up a Tourism Malaysia office in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Source: NST

A million visitors from China

2008/11/20

SHANGHAI: Malaysia's aggressive promotion in China is pushing tourist arrivals from the country closer to the one million target. The number of Chinese nationals visiting Malaysia between January and last month had already surpassed that for last year, Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib said yesterday.

"As of last month, we have received more than 800,000 visitors. An average of 70,000 come in every month." -- Bernama

Tourism Malaysia Melbourne Concludes Roadshows In Victoria, Tasmania

November 12, 2008 11:22 AM

By Neville D'Cruz

MELBOURNE, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia Melbourne has just concluded an outstanding roadshow to several provincial and regional centres in the states of Victoria and Tasmania.

The aim of the two-month campaign, backed by Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is to stimulate interest in travel to Malaysia and to highlight and showcase the destinations to the travel industry in the thriving and prosperous regional centres - away from the big cities.

The annual event, which began after Tourism Malaysia opened an office here in October 2005, has since grown in importance and has been well-received by regional travel agents and tour operators.

The Tourism Malaysia Melbourne office coordinated with several key wholesalers in the market to travel with the roadshows so that regional agents had access to their Malaysia product.

The wholesalers that took part were Creative Holidays, Malaysia Holidays, Discovering Borneo, Golden Holidays, Travel Indochina, Adventure Destinations, Explore Holidays, Freestyle Holidays, Adventure World and Viva Holidays.

The roadshows were held at Frankston, Geelong, Warrnambool, Traralgon, Shepparton, Bendigo and Ballarat, all in the state of Victoria, and Launceston and Hobart in Tasmania.

Agents from nearby towns attended the shows. A final event was held here on Oct 30. Comments from attendees were positive and encouraging.

"Another fabulous show from Tourism Malaysia," said Meryl Edwards of Travelscene in the petroleum-rich city of Sale, near Traralgon.

"Tuesday night was well organised and very informative for me. Malaysia is a place I would love to visit," said Chelsea Ambrose, from Travel Plus Travel Services of Warragul.

Brigette Richards, from Coopers Travel Centre in Bairnsdale, also near Traralgon, said: "I was the one at the end of the night begging and pleading for you to send me your presentation and any additional information to know more about Malaysia."

"It was great to catch up with some suppliers," said Jeff Dimand of FBI Travel in Melbourne.

Several travel agents said Tourism Malaysia having an office in Melbourne was very convenient for them and much appreciated.

At the roadshows, Tourism Malaysia and MAS gave presentations on airline products and destination information to enhance Malaysia products promoted by wholesalers.

The evenings were a tremendous success with many agents travelling over an hour to attend the shows.

Prizes in the way of accommodation prizes around Malaysia from such establishments as Shangri-la Hotels & Resorts, Parkroyal Hotels, Starwood Hotels, The Berjaya Group, GHM Group, Crowne Plaza Hotels, Holiday Inn Hotels, Sunway Hotels & Resort, Bayview Beach Resort Penang, Equatorial Hotel Group were offered as lucky prizes at the shows.

In addition, MAS sponsored return economy class tickets to Malaysia which were complimented by land touring prizes sponsored by Adventure World and Wildlife Expeditions, GAP Adventures, Adventure Destinations and Travel Indochina.

Source: BERNAMA

Insufficient KL-London Flights By MAS Will Be Raised In Cabinet, Says Azalina

November 11, 2008 23:19 PM

From Haslinda Zainal

LONDON, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- The Tourism Ministry will bring up the matter of insufficient Kuala Lumpur-London flights by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to the Cabinet, said its minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said the problem had affected tourist arrivals from Europe and London.

"Now with global fuel prices at a very low level, MAS should use the opportunity to increase its flight frequency on the KL-London route," she told reporters after opening Tourism Malaysia's booth known as Malaysia Pavilion at the World Travel Market fair at the ExCel London exposition park here Tuesday.

It is understood MAS, which used to operate some 14 flights a week on the route, had reduced the frequency to between 10 and 12 a week.

Azalina said this and other shortcomings like expensive airfares had caused Malaysians and Europeans to opt for other airlines.

She said apart from this, the London-Langkawi and London-Penang routes that had been scrapped, would also raised in the Cabinet.

Azalina also said that despite the economic crunch the world was facing, tourist arrivals in Malaysia showed an increase of 4.8 per cent as of October.

She said tourist arrivals from Britain as of October was 303,569, an increase of 36.1 per cent compared to arrivals for the whole of last year from that country.

"The daily average spending of tourists from the United Kingdom amounted to RM3,500 and their average length of stay was 9.6 days. This augurs well for Malaysia," she added.

Source: BERNAMA

Malaysia Targets 300,000 Tourists From UK

November 11, 2008 00:52 AM

LONDON, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia targets 300,000 tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom this year, said Tourism Malaysia director (UK and Ireland) Abdul Rauf Hassan.

He said the target could be achieved, as 274,000 tourist arrivals had been recorded from the UK till September.

"Last year, tourist arrivals from UK numbered 272,000. This year we project the number will reach 300,000," he told reporters when met at Tourism Malaysia's booth, known as the Malaysia Pavilion, at the World Travel Market (WTM) exposition at the ExCel Centre here Monday.

Abdul Rauf said the many promotion activities done by Tourism Malaysia especially in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year coupled with the many travel road shows undertaken by it had attracted many UK tourists to come to Malaysia.

He all states in Malaysia should participate in such activities so as to promote them to foreign tourists.

"As a by product they can also attract investors to their respective states," he said.

Abdul Rauf said for the WTM this year, apart from Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia, Sepang International Circuit, hotel operators and tour agencies, only six states - Kedah (Langkawi Geopark), Selangor, Perak, Penang, Terengganu and Sabah - took part.

He added that Tourism Malaysia targeted at least 50,000 people to come and visit the Malaysia Pavilion.

Some 650 exhibitors from 191 countries are promoting their tourism products at the four-day fair which opened on Monday.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said is scheduled to open the Malaysia Pavilion Tuesday.

Source: BERNAMA

1.1 Million Thais Visited Malaysia In First Nine Months Of The Year

November 03, 2008 15:35 PM

By D. Arul Rajoo

BANGKOK, Nov 3 (Bernama) -- There was only a slight dip in the number of Thai tourist arrivals in Malaysia in the first nine months of the year, despite the increase in travel cost, high oil price, economic slowdown and political crisis in the Kingdom.

Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof, Tourism Malaysia's senior deputy director (research and industrial division), said about 1.1 million Thais visited the country between January and September, as compared to 1.14 million during the same period last year.

"It was a slight decrease and was basically due to the high oil price which affected world travelling, and the political situation in Thailand.

"But this is minimal and we hope to target more Thai tourists, with more promotional programmes being undertaken now," he said after leading a delegation to participate in the 14th Discovery Thailand and Discovery World expo here.

He said Malaysia, which received 20.97 million visitors from throughout the world last year, with tourist receipts of RM46.1 billion, saw a 14.1 per cent decrease in Thai arrivals from 1.89 million to 1.62 million last year.

Thailand remained the third biggest market for Malaysia as Singapore again topped the ranking in the first nine months of this year, with 8.1 million visitors, followed by Indonesia's 1.7 million.

Iskandar, who was accompanied by Tourism Malaysia for Thailand director Sani Sham Ahmad, tourism officials from Perak, Selangor, Penang, Melaka and Langkawi, as well as travel agencies, also met representatives from Thai travel associations, tour agencies and the media during his visit.

He said a survey undertaken by Tourism Malaysia showed that Thai tourists preferred sight-seeing, visiting cultural and heritage sites, shopping and soft adventure activities like trekking in places such as Taman Negara.

"During the expo, we highlighted more attractions in Langkawi, Perak, Selangor and Penang, as these are states which have high impact on Thai tourists and can be easily accessed by road and flights.

"We have special packages and products catered for Thais," he added.

Other key segments promoted in Thailand include MICE and special interest promotions like education or possibly exclusive services that cater for the high-end and niche market, said Iskandar.

"Unique experiences like the cable car in Langkawi are popular among Thais. But we realise that the lack of direct flights is hampering our promotion of Langkawi, especially after Thai AirAsia cancelled its flight there...but we are looking at charter flights," he said.

Source: BERNAMA

Hari Raya open house on Saturday

Thursday October 23, 2008

KUANTAN: The Hari Raya Aidilfitri national-level open house will be held at Sungai Isap 2, here, from 10am to 4pm on Saturday.

Organised by Tourism Malaysia, it will feature performances by local artistes and dancers, as well as traditional dishes and other delicacies.

The performances will start at 10am, while food will be served from noon to 4pm.

The public is invited to join this kenduri (feast) which is expected to be attended by Tengku Mahkota Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Source: The Star

Asia Upbeat Tourism Industry Will Grow Despite Economic Slowdown

October 22, 2008 16:52 PM

SINGAPORE, Oct 22 (Bernama) -- The tourism industry in Asia may have been affected by the current economic slowdown but the region is expected to rebound and grow in the medium term, said Singapores Trade and Industry Minister Lim Hng Kiang.

He said the industry's downturn in Asia would be cushioned by the continued increase of intra-regional travel with demand largely driven by travellers from China, India and South Korea.

"Other Asian source markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam would similarly grow and contribute to the rebound of the industry in the region," he said when opening the inaugural ITB Asia Convention at Suntec here today.

ITB Asia is the Asian edition of ITB Berlin, the worlds largest travel trade show in Europe, jointly organised by Messe Berlin and Singapore Tourism Board.

About 850 travel companies from 58 countries including Malaysia, and 5,000 travel representatives are taking part in the three-day show.

Exhibitors from Malaysia include Tourism Malaysia and Sabah and Sarawak tourism authorities.

Lim said destinations in Asia such as Macau and Dubai had also boosted their destination appeal to international visitors in recent years and this had resulted in rising interest in Asia as a travel destination.

He said the current turmoil in the global financial markets, combined with higher air travel costs and rising fuel prices had impacted consumer sentiment and discretionary spending in many tourism destinations around the world including Singapore.

He urged the local and international tourism players to work together, forge new partnerships, invest in the development and training of their workers, as well as commit to capability building in Asian markets.

According to the UN World Tourism Organisation, Asia would continue to be a well sought after destination with close to 400 million total visitor arrivals to the East Asia and Pacific region by 2020.

The Pacific Asia Travel Association had forecast that the Asia-Pacific region would see growth of seven to eight percent in international arrivals for 2008 to 2010 with the Asian region attracting 460 million visitors by 2010, up from some 350 million visitors in 2006.

Source: BERNAMA

State Governments Line Up Events For VMY'07

January 01, 2007 18:09 PM

PENANG, Jan 1 (Bernama) -- The new year, Monday also marked the start of the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 (VMY'07).

The VMY'07, which is expected to draw 20.1 million tourists and enrich the national coffer by RM44.5 billion through foreign exchange earnings, will be officially launched at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 6.

"At least 240 (national level) tourism events will be held across Malaysia in conjunction with the VMY'07," Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said in an interview at the KL International Airport (KLIA), where he was busy welcoming tourists into the country.

In Penang, Tourism Committee Chairman Cheang Chee Gooi said the Penang government will hold more than 50 events, including four international tourism events, throughout this year.

The four international events are the Penang Bridge Run to be held in June, International Dragon Boat Festival (June), International Music Fest (June) and International Lantern Festival (September).

Cheang was speaking to reporters after welcoming 560 tourists from Singapore, Bangkok and China at Penang's Bayan Lepas International Airport.

Tomorrow, some 400 tourists from Germany are expected to arrive by luxury cruise liner "Star Cruise" at Swettenham Pier and 180 more are also expected to arrive at KTM Butterworth station by E&O Express train from Bangkok.

In KEDAH, Chairman of Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee Datuk Fong Chok Gin said the tourism associations in the State will work hand in hand with similar bodies in Thailand to promote the VMY'07 in Thailand.

"The VMY'07 promotion in Thailand is showing positive result," he told reporters after welcoming tourists at Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah, Monday.

He said at least 800 tourists from Thailand are expected to arrive in Kedah daily through Bukit Kayu Hitam entry point.

Thousands more will come by boat through Satun and by air from Bangkok starting from Jan 6.

He said at least 2.8 million tourists are expected to visit Kedah throughout the year, where 70 percent of them will be heading to the tourist island of Langkawi. In TERENGGANU, deputy chairman of Industrial Development and Tourism committee Datuk Mohd Nasir Ibrahim Fikri said at least 2.8 million tourists are expected to visit the state this year compared to 2.3 million last year.

He said the state has lined-up various tourism programmes including 14 major events throughout the year.

Speaking to reporters at Sultan Mahmud Airport here, Mohd Nasir said the Terengganu government has spent RM10 million to promote VMY'07 and to upgrade tourism infrastructure.

He said various major events have been lined up throughout the year including the Terengganu Carnival in February, Bulan Citra Rasa (from June 1-3), Sultan Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge (from Nov 10-11), Terengganu Monsoon Cup in Dec; and Terengganu International Rainforest Challenge (from Dec 1-10).

In KELANTAN, some 500 tourists from Thailand arrived at the main entry point of Rantau Panjang today. They were led by Narathiwat Governor Karan Supkitvilekkarn and his deputy Nipon Nrapitakkun.

They were welcomed by Tourism Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Victor Wee.

In PERLIS, the state government is targeting at least 550,000 tourists to visit the state this year.

The state has lined up at least 13 national level tourism events and 31 state level tourism programmes throughout the year.

Perlis Tourism Action Council director Ahmad Bakri Ali said the state is seeking approval from the Federal Government to allow tourists from Thailand to use the Facilities Letter (FL) to enter Perlis.

"The FL will facilitate a hassle free travel for tourists from Thailand to visit Perlis," he said.

Source: BERNAMA

Keyword: Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Tourism, Visit Malaysia Year 2007, VMY'07, VMY 2007, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, KL International Airport, KLIA, Tourism Minister, Malaysia Airport, Tourism Committee, Penang, Penang Bridge Run, International Dragon Boat Festival, International Music Fest, International Lantern Festival, Bayan Lepas International Airport, Star Cruise, Butterworth, E&O Express train, KEDAH, Tourism, Arts and Culture, Bukit Kayu Hitam, Langkawi, Terengganu, Sultan Mahmud Airport, Terengganu Carnival, Bulan Citra Rasa, Sultan Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge, Terengganu Monsoon Cup, Terengganu International Rainforest Challenge, Kelantan, Rantau Panjang, Tourism Ministry, Perlis, Perlis Tourism Action Council,

Minister Welcomes First Batch Of Visitors As VMY 2007 Begins

January 01, 2007 01:44 AM

SEPANG, Jan 1 (Bernama) -- A group of Chinese visitors arrived at the KL International Airport here in the wee hours of the morning, making them the first group of travellers to Malaysia as the country's Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 gets underway.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor welcomed the passengers of China Eastern Airlines flight MU0539 from Pudong/Shanghai which landed at about 12.30am.

"On behalf of the government and people of Malaysia, it gives me a great pleasure to welcome our first group of visitors to Malaysia with a warm 'Selamat Datang' or ' Huan Yin', since this group comes from China," he said at a special welcoming reception.

Meanwhile, a Cebu Pacific Airlines plane from Manila touched down at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal at 12.35am.

VMY 2007, through which the country expects 20.1 million visitors and hopes to earn RM44.5 billion in foreign exchange, will be officially launched at the Taman Tasik Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 6.

The minister described Malaysia as a travel product "for all seasons all year round".

"Whether you come for our million-year-old untouched rainforests, pristine beaches and idyllic islands, culture and heritage, colourful festivals or for our multi-ethnic gastronomic experiences, we have what it takes to satisfy every interest and budget," he said.

Along with international-class hospitality services and shopping places, Malaysia is an ideal one-stop, short-haul holiday destination, he said in extolling the attractions of this multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation of 26 million people.

He said it was important for visitors to the country to know that Malaysians were by nature caring, peace-loving, hospitable and advocated moderation over extremism.

"The comfort and well-being of our guests and visitors have been and will always be of utmost priority in the long-standing Malaysian tradition of hospitality," he said.

Source: BERNAMA

Keyword: Sepang, China Eastern Airlines, Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, Cebu Pacific Airlines, Low Cost Carrier Terminal, LCCT, Taman Tasik Titiwangsa