DINNER SPEECH

YB DATO’ SERI MOHAMED NAZRI BIN TAN SRI ABDUL AZIZ

MINISTER OF TOURISM AND CULTURE, MALAYSIA

GALA DINNER

IN CONJUNCTION WITH KITF 2015

INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL, KAZAKHSTAN

22 APRIL 2015

SALUTATIONS:

Members of the travel trade fraternity,

Members from the media,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen.

OPENING / PLEASANTRIES:

1. Good evening. On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, I would like to welcome all of you to the KITF Gala evening, where the biggest players of the tourism trade fraternity have gathered here for one of the most prestigious travel industry events in the world.

2. This is the 14th time that Malaysia has participated in this event, and we are proud and excited to come back every year to update you on our latest tourism products and development.

3. For your information, tourist arrivals from the Central Asia market has been steadily rising over the last few years, and we believe that this signifies a great potential for this target market.

4. Last year, we recorded more than 18,000 tourist arrivals from Kazakhstan, and I believe that number will increase this year in conjunction with the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015.

Ladies and gentlemen,

5. The MyFest 2015 campaign is a continuation of the Visit Malaysia Year campaign last year. The MyFest campaign focuses on Malaysia’s cultural attraction, and the Tourism Board has already identified 50 events which are the cultural hallmarks of Malaysia.

6. In conjunction with MyFest, we have increased our promotional efforts here in this region. Earlier this afternoon, we launched the Tourism Malaysia Almaty office, which will help keep the tourism fraternity in this region updated on our latest tourism products and attractions.

7. The office will also be a main contact point between our headquarters in Putrajaya and the industry players here, to allow for greater cooperation and collaboration between the government and the private sector.

8. We are also the partner country for this year’s KITF, which allows us to increase the exposure of Malaysia’s tourist industry, as well as showcase our cultural attractions. For example, all of you here tonight will be able to enjoy a glimpse of our culture from the performance by our cultural troupe.

9. Coupled with our participation here at the KITF, as well as your help in promoting Malaysia, I believe that we can make Malaysia a top-of-mind destination for tourists from Central Asia.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

10. Our targets this year are to bring in 29.4 million tourists with RM89 billion in tourist receipts. This is an ambitious goal, but with your full support and commitment, I believe we can achieve this target.

11. To that end, I strongly urge all of you to network with members of the Malaysian delegation. This is the perfect opportunity to establish smart partnerships and potentially rewarding ventures.

12. Before I conclude, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all of you for your continuous support and active role in promoting holiday packages to Malaysia.

13. I would like to wish all of you a very productive session at this trade exhibition, and I look forward to the successful outcome of your meetings.

Thank you.