WUHAN, 2 Mar 2013: Malaysia is expected to receive more tourists from Wuhan, China, beginning 1 April 2013, with the commencement of the twice-weekly charter flights. The arrangement was sealed today at a signing ceremony between Hubei New Airline International Travel Service and low-cost carrier AirAsia at Chuhehan Plaza in Wuhan.

The organising of the charter flights from Wuhan to Kuala Lumpur is in line with the efforts to promote Malaysia in the city. It is expected to last for at least two years.

The event was witnessed by representatives from Tourism Malaysia including its Director of Shanghai Office Mr. Effendy Mat Yaman, and the Director of Tourism Malaysia Beijing Office Mr. Noran Ujang, as well as a few invited guests from the local government in Hubei and Wuhan.

It was also attended by representatives from more than 20 organisations from Malaysia who participated in Tourism Malaysia Sales Mission to Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing and Guangzhou, from 1 to 8 March 2013.

Tourism Malaysia supported this effort as there are no direct flights from Wuhan to Malaysia currently. It has also provided assistance to ensure the success of the discussions between Hubei New Airline International Travel Service and AirAsia in organising the charter flights.

Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province and has a population of 9.7 million. The city is well-known for having many famous institutes of higher learning such as Wuhan University and Huazhong University of Science & Technology, as well as three state-level development zones and lots of enterprise incubators. In terms of the advancement of science and technology, Wuhan is ranked third in China.

The signing ceremony was followed by a special luncheon organised by Tourism Malaysia to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2014. It was attended by members of the Malaysian delegation, as well as 30 travel agents and members of the media from Wuhan. The luncheon provided a networking opportunity for the guests so that more new tour packages can be created to encourage more tourists from Wuhan to visit Malaysia.

For enquiries on the charter flights, kindly contact:

Mr. Effendy Mat Yaman
Director, Tourism Malaysia Shanghai Office
Email: mtpb.shanghai@tourismmalaysia.cn