KUALA LUMPUR, 26 NOV 2012: Kuala Lumpur has been ranked fourth in global news network, CNN’s survey on the top 10 best shopping cities in the world, ahead of well-established shopping hubs such as Paris, Hong Kong and Dubai.

The top three best shopping cities in the world were New York, London and Tokyo, in first, second and third place, respectively.

The judging was based on four categories comprising ease of getting around (quality of public transportation, affordability and availability of cabs); value (bargain opportunities, such as sale seasons and average prices); variety (number of available brands, range of shopping categories, quantity of upscale shops, department stores, boutique and vintage retailers and market stalls) and experience (city beauty, quality of window displays and shop décor, friendliness and competence of clerks and service staff, dining and accommodation options). A one-to-10 scoring scale was used for each category.

Kuala Lumpur scored a total of 30 out of a maximum 40 points: 6 points for Getting around; 10 points (full marks) for value; 8 points for variety and 6 points for experience. New York scored 35 points, Tokyo 34 points and London 31 points. According to CNN International’s travel website, CNNgo, Kuala Lumpur’s impressive score came from its winning combination of high quality shopping, affordable prices and reliable sales, which can stretch for several months, citing 1Malaysia Year-End Sales as an example.

It is the second recognition this month for Kuala Lumpur’s shopping attraction. Early this month, Kuala Lumpur city was crowned the second best shopping destination in Asia Pacific by Globe Shopper Index, created by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which is part of the Economist Group and commissioned by Switzerland-based shopping tourism company Global Blue.

CONTRIBUTION OF SHOPPING SECTOR IN MALAYSIA:
Shopping is a lucrative sector of Malaysia’s tourism industry. It holds the second biggest share of tourist expenditure after accommodation. Last year, tourists spent RM17.5 billion on shopping which constituted 30 percent of the total receipts of RM58.3 billion.

Its important contribution to the economy has led the Government to focus on developing the shopping sector as one of the main tourism drivers. Efforts include positioning the country as a duty-free shopping destination for tourist goods, designating KLCC-Bukit Bintang as a vibrant shopping precinct and establishing three new premium outlets in Malaysia.

In Malaysia, there are more than 320 shopping malls and the country’s top 10 largest shopping malls are bigger in size than the top 10 shopping malls in the UK.

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Issued by: Communications & Publicity Division, Tourism Malaysia
Tel: 03-8891 8000; Email: sitirahmah@tourism.gov.my
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