TEXT

YB DATO’ SERI MOHAMED NAZRI ABDUL AZIZ

MIISTER OF TOURISM AND CULTURE MALAYSIA

PRESS CONFERENCE

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH CEREMONY OF

TOURISM & TRADE SECTION

EMBASSY OF MALAYSIA, ALMATY OFFICE

22 APRIL 2014, WEDNESDAY

ALMATY, KAZAKHSTAN

Member of the Media,

Ladies and Gentlemen.

1. Good afternoon. On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, I would like to thank all of you for your presence at this press conference, held in conjunction with the launching of Tourism Malaysia’s new office in Almaty.

2. The opening of this office signifies a very important milestone in forging a stronger relationship in travel and tourism with not only Kazakhstan, but also other Central Asian countries.

3. We would like to thank the Government of Kazakhstan and all the relevant parties for making it possible for Malaysia to have our tourism presence here.

4. Our new office in Almaty is known as the Tourism and Trade Section. It operates under the Embassy of Malaysia in Almaty. It has been operational since 1 September 2014.

5. This office is headed by Ms. Norliza Md. Zain, as the First Secretary, Director of Tourism Section.

6. With the opening of this office, we are confident that we’ll be able to attract more tourists from not only Kazakhstan, but also other Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.

7. CIS countries have huge potential. Tourists from these countries have high spending and purchasing power, especially those from Kazakhstan. Therefore, we are pleased to open an office here as we’re targeting high yield tourists.

8. Last year, a total of 34,533 tourists from CIS countries visited Malaysia. With the opening of our Almaty Office, we are confident that we’ll be able to boost this figure further, especially with the celebration of the Malaysia Year of Festivals this year.

9. We will work closely with local travel industry players in this region to make Malaysia a top-of-mind holiday destination for travellers here.

10. We also plan to bring more local tour operators and media to Malaysia on fam trips to give them a first-hand experience of the country.

Ladies and gentlemen,

11. We are confident that the presence of our office here will create higher awareness of Malaysia and our fascinating tourism offerings.

12. Once again, thank you for joining us in celebrating this significant milestone. I would also like to extend my appreciation to all of you for your continuous support.

13. We look forward to working closely with all of you in promoting Malaysia as a top-of-mind holiday destination for travellers from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries.

Thank you.