PUTRAJAYA, 30 AUGUST 2013 – A group of 70 travel agents from various parts of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh have arrived in the country for the “Make It Malaysia 2013” programme organised by Tourism Malaysia.

The 6-day programme, beginning 29 August, is a platform to highlight the latest development on Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014. In line with VMY 2014, the programme encourages more tour operators in South Asia markets to promote the special events planned for the celebration.

The programme showcases new tourism products and encourages travel agents to diversify Malaysia tourism products by combining the new and existing tour packages to Malaysia. It aims to position Malaysia as a top-of-mind tourist destination for the South Asia countries.

“Make It Malaysia 2013” is comprised of tours and product updates, a product presentation, and a travel mart. 

The participants, from Bangalore, Bombay, Delhi, Hyderabad, Madras, Colombo, Kathmandu and Dhaka, are scheduled to visit various tourist spots in Melaka and Johor such as Mini Malaysia, Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, Johor Premium Outlets, Legoland and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park.

The participants will attend a product presentation and travel mart on 2 September at Puteri Pacific Johor Bahru Hotel. They will get to know more about VMY 2014 through a presentation by the VMY secretariat. In addition, they will also listen to a few presentations by Johor Tourism, Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and Puteri Pacific Hotel. It will be followed by a travel mart and business networking session between South Asia travel agents and Malaysian travel trade members.

On 30 August the participants will attend the National Open House – Aidilfitri Raya Merdeka 2013 at Stadium Hang Tuah, jointly organised by Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia and the Melaka State Government.

“Make It Malaysia 2013” South Asia Travel Mart is supported by Malaysia Airlines, Tourism Malaysia Melaka, Johor Tourism, Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Holiday Inn Hotel, Puteri Pacific Hotel, Lotus Desaru Beach Resort, Legoland, Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park and Kidzania Kuala Lumpur.

South Asia region is a very important market to Malaysia with huge potential that has yet to be explored. It contributed a significant number of tourist arrivals to Malaysia since 2008. In 2012, India was one of the top ten tourist generating markets to Malaysia, registering 691,271 tourists.

Nepal and Sri Lanka are emerging markets that have shown significant increase in tourist arrivals. Last year, a total of 123,173 Nepalese tourists came to Malaysia while tourist arrivals for Sri Lanka are 62,821. This year, Malaysia aims to attract 1,030,000 tourists from South Asia markets while the target for next year is 1,060,000.

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 2012, Malaysia registered 25 million tourist arrivals and RM60.6 billion in tourist receipts, placing the country firmly as the 10th most popular tourism destination in the world.

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, Senior Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my