WELCOME REMARKS BY

YBHG. DATO’ HAJI AZIZAN NOORDIN

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL, TOURISM MALAYSIA

DESTINATION SEMINAR

MALAYSIA MEGA FAM PROGRAMME

IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE

F1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX

BALLROOM A, RENAISSANCE HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR

27 MARCH 2015, FRIDAY, 9.30 AM

Mega Fam invitees,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen.

1. Good morning. I’m pleased to bid each and every one of you a warm welcome or Selamat Datang to Malaysia. I would also like to thank all of you for accepting our invitation to participate in this Mega Fam programme, held in conjunction with the F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix 2015.

2. Every year, we bring in international media and tour agents to Malaysia under the Mega Fam Programme to give them a firsthand experience of the various sights and sounds here.

3. Our intention is simple. We hope the media will be motivated to write interesting articles to promote Malaysia, while the tour agents will have better ideas on what and how to package Malaysia. Your support and assistance are important to help boost our arrivals, especially this year as we celebrate the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest).

4. The Mega Fam programme has indeed helped us create higher awareness of Malaysia internationally, promoting the country as a value-for-money and top-of-mind tourist destination.

5. For this event, we have brought in 130 Mega Fam participants comprising travel agents, journalists, and TV crews from 12 countries.

6. I am confident that you will have an enjoyable time in Malaysia for the next few days as you watch the drivers pit their skills against each other in the Formula One Grand Prix.

Ladies and gentlemen,

7. Malaysia places strong emphasis on motorsports as part of our sports tourism development. Hence, we encourage the packaging of international sports-based events such as Formula 1 and MotoGP with other tourist attractions or activities in the country such as shopping and nature experiences to attract more spectators.

8. Besides F1, Malaysia’s sports tourism sector is also supported by other international events such as Le Tour de Langkawi, Monsoon Cup, and the Malaysia Motorcycle GP.

9. These events have attracted hundreds of international participants and spectators annually which help to grow the local tourism businesses.

10. Before you attend the F1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix tomorrow, I would like to give you an update of our tourist destinations, upcoming events, and attractions.

11. After that we’ll be sharing with you our multiple award-winning video, Malaysia Truly Asia – The Essence of Asia followed by presentations by our industry players – Floria Putrajaya and Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA.

12. Without further ado, I would like to proceed with the Destination Presentation of Malaysia’s Tourism Industry.