SPEECH BY

YB. DATO’ SRI MAZNAH MAZLAN

DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, TOURISM MALAYSIA

CLOSING DINNER

MEGA FAM PROGRAMME FOR PARTICIPANTS OF

PADI – COURSE DIRECTOR TRAINING COURSE (CDTC) 2015

PULAU TIOMAN, PAHANG

28 MARCH 2015

Participants of CDTC 2015,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen.

1. Good evening. First of all, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the 26 participants from 16 countries who are here under Tourism Malaysia?'s Mega Fam Programme for CDTC 2015. Thank you for accepting our invitation to come to Tioman, and I hope you have had a great time diving in different parts of Malaysia these past few days.

2. On behalf of Tourism Malaysia, I would like to congratulate all of you for completing your CDTC certification. I understand that this is one of the highest qualification you can achieve as a diver, and we are proud that you have done it here in Malaysia.

3. This CDTC programme is in line with our ultimate goal to increase awareness on niche tourism products, especially diving, which we have been promoting extensively in the past few years.

4. Being at the epicentre of the world'??s richest underwater environment, Malaysia is blessed with an abundance of marine parks with excellent visibility and thriving underwater ecosystems. Some of the region's best dive sites are located here, particularly in the waters of Sabah and Terengganu. The avid diver will find a fascinating variety of marine life and an extensive biodiversity, which includes several rare, exotic and endangered species.

5. Naturally, we are very proud of our diving attractions, and we have taken great steps in preserving and promoting them to the world. I hope you can assist us to promote our dive sites and diving facilities to your fellow divers when you return to your respective countries later.

6. This is definitely the best time to promote these attractions, as we are now in the midst of the Malaysia Year of Festivals or (MyFest) 2015 celebrations.

Ladies and gentlemen,

7. The MyFest campaign is a continuation of the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014. It is designed to give tourists an amazing holiday experience with an emphasis on the cultural aspect of the various festivals celebrated by Malaysia'??s multi-cultural society.

8. Themed ‘Endless Celebrations’, a total of 50 events have been identified as the cultural hallmarks of Malaysia, and will be held throughout the year

9. If this is your first trip to Malaysia, I strongly encourage you to return after this programme to spend a long holiday here with your family and friends. There is so much more to explore and experience in Malaysia, especially this year with so many exciting tourism events and celebrations.

10. Whatever your interest, I can assure you that we have it all. The various international recognitions and accolades that we received in recent years speaks volumes for our thriving tourism industry. We have been crowned as Asia'??s Best Golf Destination, Best Family Destination, and the fourth Best Shopping City in the World. We were also in the Top 10 of Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2014, and recently, we have been listed as the world'??s fourth top retirement haven for 2015. All these merely serve as encouragement for us to work harder to promote our tourism industry and to make sure our visitors will return again and again.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

11. Once again, congratulations on earning your CDTC certifications, and thank you for your support to this Mega Fam programme.

12. I wish all of you an enjoyable and memorable stay in Malaysia and I hope you will continue to come back here to dive and explore our fascinating tourism offerings.

Thank you.