WELCOME SPEECH
YB DATO’ SERI MOHAMED NAZRI ABDUL AZIZ
MINISTER OF TOURISM AND CULTURE MALAYSIA

AT THE LAUNCH OF MALAYSIA PAVILION
IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ARABIAN TRAVEL MARKET 2015

4 MAY 2015, TUESDAY, 11:30AM
MALAYSIA PAVILION – SHEIKH SAEED HALL 3, DUBAI, UAE

Members of the travel trade fraternity,

Members of the media,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen.

1. A very Good morning. Welcome to the official opening of the Malaysia Pavilion at the Arabian Travel Market 2015. It gives me great pleasure to be here in Dubai, along with members of the Malaysia travel and tourism industry.

2. The Arabian Travel Market or ATM 2015, marked the 22nd year of Malaysia’s participation in this prestigious event. We are honoured to be associated with ATM as it manifests our continued interest in the West Asia and UAE markets.

3. As in previous years, our delegation to ATM is well represented with a total of 142 participants from 85 organisations, from the government and private sector with a mission to promote Malaysia and Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015.

4. Team Malaysia consists of a good mix, comprising airline, hotels and resorts, tour operators, and local tourism boards.

Ladies and gentlemen,

5. Malaysia continues to participate in Arabian Travel Market because it provides the best opportunity for us to establish a wider network of contacts, grow our customer list, increase exposure, as well as forge smart partnerships and cooperation.

6. It will also help us to keep abreast with the latest industry trends in the Middle East, and be part of the international business gathering.

7. At the same time, we will try our best to reinforce our brand as a luxury tourism destination offering diversity and vibrant experiences.

8. Malaysia has high expectations of our participation in Arabian Travel Market 2015, as we view West Asia as a huge market, not only in terms of outbound tourism, but also in terms of trade and investment.

9. Recently ranked as the world’s top Muslim-Friendly Holiday Destination by Crescentrating, a Singapore-based Muslim travel consultancy, we are confident that we will be able to tap the fast growing and affluent Muslim market.

Ladies and gentlemen,

10. Last year, 27.4 million tourists visited Malaysia, which injected RM72 billion into the Malaysia economy, registering an increase of RM7 billion against the previous year.

11. In the context of West Asia, Malaysia registered about 354,000 tourists from West Asia, registering a hike of 9.1 percent compared to 2013.

12. As I have such an influential audience held captive here right now, I can’t resist this great opportunity to promote our latest tourism campaign, the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015.

13. MyFest 2015 which is the continuation of last year’s Visit Malaysia Year campaign, is designed to give tourists an amazing holiday experience, with an emphasis on the cultural aspect of the many different festivals celebrated by Malaysia’s multi-cultural society.

14. Themed “Endless Celebrations”, a total of 50 cultural events have been identified as the hallmark of our nation’s cultural celebrations and festivals. We look forward to welcoming you and the rest of the world to join in on the festivities this year.

Ladies and gentlemen,

15. As we continue to explore and improve our destination profile in this market, we count on your continued support to ensure that Malaysia remains a top-of-mind destination for tourists from this region.

16. I wish to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to visit the Malaysia Pavilion here at Booth AS8320 in the Sheikh Saeed Arena. Meet and talk to representatives from the Malaysian state tourism board, tour operators and hoteliers. This is the chance to network and establish smart partnerships and potentially rewarding ventures.

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

18. I hereby declare the Malaysia Pavilion open.

Thank you.