Deputy Tourism Minister, YB Dato' James Dawos Mamit, is hosting a special dinner for 82 foreign media and tour operators from 17 countries on 1 April. They are from Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, The Philippines, Brunei, Singapore, China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates, India, Australia, The Netherlands and Spain.

The group is on a visit to Malaysia from 31 March to 6 April under Tourism Malaysia's Mega Fam programme held in conjunction with the PETRONAS Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix 2010.

The highlight of their visit to Malaysia will be the F1 race itself on 4 April. Besides that, the group will also attend a business seminar on Malaysia's tourism industry and listen to speakers from Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines. This will be held at Palace of the Golden Horses on 1 April.

The group will then tour the rest of Malaysia, visiting such places as Melaka, Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Cameron Highlands, Langkawi, Penang, Terengganu, Tioman Island, Genting Highlands and Port Dickson, while absorbing the culture and tourist atmosphere of Malaysia. This personalized and hands-on programme seeks to provide the members of the foreign media and tourism trade with a first-hand experience of Malaysia as a tourist destination.

The Mega Fam programme was established in 2000 as part of Tourism Malaysia's promotional strategy to create greater awareness for Malaysia as a tourist destination. Since its inception, the programme has proven to be a success, especially in terms of generating media publicity and new tour programmes in foreign markets. Last year, 18 Mega Fam events were organised for 1,500 participants, generating RM68.99 million in tourism publicity for Malaysia. This year 15 Mega Fam events have been planned.

For more information, please contact the Mega Fam unit at +603 2615 8188. Or kindly e-mail your query to megafamsecretariat@tourism.gov.my.