KUALA LUMPUR, 13 March 2015 – A total of 40 Japanese delegates got a taste of living in Malaysia recently, as they participated in the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Seminar and Inspection Tour Programme, held at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTiC) on 5 March 2015.

The seminar and inspection tour programme was a joint initiative by Tourism Malaysia and the Japan Long Stay Foundation, which aimed to expose potential or successful MM2H participants to the various facilities offered in Malaysia, including health programmes, education systems, and infrastructures, etc. The programme was a continuation of the MM2H Roadshow which was held in Okayama, Fukuoka, Sapporo and Tokyo, Japan from 21 to 30 November last year.

During the seminar, the participants were given presentations by several organisations, such as a presentation on the MM2H programme and Malaysia by Ms. Michiyo Kubota from Tourism Malaysia Tokyo, as well as a presentation on financial services in Malaysia by Public Bank. There was also a panel discussion with an MM2H participant living in Kuala Lumpur, and a guest speaker from Pantai Hospital.

After the seminar, the Japanese participants were brought on a tour around Kuala Lumpur, which included tourist sites such as Bukit Nanas, KLCC, and Pavilion. They also received a briefing about the Inter-Cultural Language School (ICLS) at Bukit Bintang.

BACKGROUND INFO:

The MM2H programme is a long term stay visa programme to attract participants from all over the world to live and invest in Malaysia upon retirement. It is an initiative by the Malaysian government and allows foreigners who meet certain criteria to stay in Malaysia on a multiple-entry social visit pass. Applicants are allowed to bring their spouse and unmarried children as dependents. The MM2H visit pass is initially issued for a period of ten years, and is renewable thereafter.

Japan recorded the highest number of MM2H participants for two years in a row, in 2011 and 2012. Statistics show that until November last year, Japan was in second place after China, with a total of 3,546 participants since the programme was first introduced in 2002.

According to the Japan Long Stay Foundation, Malaysia has been the top choice for long term holidays by the Japanese people for 8 years in a row since 2006. Internationalliving.com, an online retirement magazine, has also recognized Malaysia as the best place to retire in Asia (and fourth best place in the world) in its 2015 Global Retirement Index: The World’s Top Ten Retirement Havens.

ENDS

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 & Culture, Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at all levels. Since its inception, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds and it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2013, Malaysia registered 25.7 million tourist arrivals and RM65.4 billion in receipts, making tourism its second largest foreign exchange earner and the sixth highest contributor to its Gross National Income (GNI).

Malaysia celebrated its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) in 2014 with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The promotion of the country continues with the MALAYSIA YEAR OF FESTIVALS (MyFEST) campaign in 2015 with the theme “Endless Celebrations” emphasising the various festivals celebrated by its multicultural society. Both campaigns are key drivers towards achieving the country’s target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area).    

Through the Tourism NKEA, collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, other Government agencies and the private sector have been enhanced to help secure Malaysia’s position as a leading tourist destination. The targets set under the Tourism NKEA will be achieved through the implementation of twelve Entry Point Projects (EPPs) clustered under five themes: Affordable Luxury; Nature Adventure; Family Fun; Events, Entertainment, Spa and Sports; and Business Tourism.  

Press contact:
Media & Publicity Unit:
Azizah Aziz (Ms), Senior Deputy Director, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8752
Email: azizahaziz@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:
Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my