PUTRAJAYA, 3 Oct 2013: In line with its effort to boost awareness of the celebration of Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014, Tourism Malaysia will be organising a travel trade programme for trade members in Myanmar and Thailand.

The special programme, comprising a travel mart, seminar and networking dinner, is scheduled to take place at Traders Hotel Yangon on 7 October and Plaza Athénée Bangkok, A Royal Méridien Hotel on 9 October.

The travel mart will provide a platform for invited travel trade members in Yangon and Bangkok to network with Malaysian delegates, in an effort to encourage greater cooperation and formation of more tourism products and tour packages, particularly during VMY 2014.
 
Prior to the travel mart, the guests are scheduled to attend a briefing on VMY 2014, followed by several presentations by Malaysian industry players and tourism product owners such as Legoland, Science Discoveries, Resorts World Genting Theme Park, Sunway Lagoon, and tour operators.

In addition, there will also be a briefing on the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF), which Malaysia will be hosting next year from 16 to 23 January in Kuching, Sarawak. The prestigious event, scheduled to be attended by tourism ministers, senior officials, tourism industry players, and international media, is set to kick off VMY 2014 with a bang.

In the evening, Tourism Malaysia will organise a VMY 2014 Gala Night, hosted by its Deputy Director General (Promotion) Madam Chong Yoke Har.

Besides promoting VMY 2014, the dinner is held to thank the local travel trade members and media for their continued support and assistance in promoting Malaysia.

The Malaysian delegation is comprised of 17 organisations including Legoland Malaysia, Sunway Lagoon, Resorts World Genting Theme Park, and travel agents.

In 2012, Malaysia received 1,263,024 tourists from Thailand, making it the fourth top tourist generating market to Malaysia. For the first half of this year, a total of 581,642 Thai tourists visited Malaysia.

Arrivals from Myanmar were 83,473 last year. For the first half of 2013, Malaysia received a total of 50,213 tourists from Myanmar, which signified an increase of 19.8% compared to the same period last year.
   

For more information on VMY 2014 Travel Trade Programme in Yangon and Bangkok, kindly contact:

Mr. Sulaiman Suip (Mr.)
Director TM Bangkok
Tel : 00 662 636 3380
Fax : 00 662 636 3384
Email: sulaiman@tourism.gov.my

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at all levels. Since its inception, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds and it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2012, Malaysia registered 25 million tourist arrivals and RM60.6 billion in tourist receipts, placing the country firmly as the 10th most popular tourism destination in the world.

In 2014, Malaysia will celebrate its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The VMY 2014 promotional campaign has started this year with a series of year-long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014. It will contribute to the Government’s target to receive 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) 2020.    

Press contact:
Media Relations Unit:
Mr. Razaidi Abd Rahim, Senior Asst. Director, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8768
Email: razaidi@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:
Ms. Anis Rozalina Ramli, Senior Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my