NAGOYA, 9 MAY 2013 – A joint cooperation between Tourism Malaysia and major Japanese travel agency, H.I.S. Co., Ltd, has resulted in the first ever charter flight to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, from Nagoya’s Centrair Airport which departed on 2 May 2013.

The charter flight, which carried 260 passengers, utilised an A330 -300 China Airlines aircraft, and signified a new milestone in tourism relations between Japan and Malaysia. The tour packages sold were for 5 days 3 nights, and brought the tourists to areas around Kota Kinabalu, Ranau, and Kundasang. Places visited by the group included the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, Kinabalu Park, and Poring Hotsprings. 

Currently, there are no direct flights from the Chubu region to Malaysia, ever since the closure of the Malaysia Airlines Kuala Lumpur- Chubu route in January 2008.

The Tourism Malaysia - H.I.S. Co. Ltd initiative is expected to increase the sale of outbound tourism to Malaysia from the Chubu region, as well as lay the groundwork for more charter flights to Kota Kinabalu and other Malaysian destinations in the near future.

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/ 

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia. While the Ministry of Tourism implements tourism policies, conducts studies and offers incentives for industry players, Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at the domestic and international level. Driven by its aspiration to promote Malaysia as a destination of excellence in this region, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception and has emerged as a major player in the nation’s socio-economic landscape. In 2012, Malaysia registered 25 million tourist arrivals and RM60.6 billion in tourist receipts. 

In 2014, Malaysia will celebrate its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The VMY 2014 promotional campaign has started this year with a series of year-long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014. It will contribute to the Government’s target to receive 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) 2020.      

Press contact:
Media Relations Unit:
Mr. Razaidi Abd Rahim, Senior Asst. Director, Communications & Publicity Division
Email: razaidi@tourism.gov.my 

Editorial Unit:
Ms. Anis Rozalina Ramli,
Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my