Putrajaya, 27 November 2014 - Malaysia was conferred ‘Asia’s Best Golf Destination 2014’ award at the inaugural World Golf Awards 2014, held at the Conrad Algarve Hotel, Portugal, on 15 November.

Riding on a global initiative to recognise, reward and celebrate excellence in the golf hospitality industry, the event also saw The Els Club Teluk Datai, Langkawi being awarded as the World’s Best New Golf Course.

Responding to these wins by Malaysia, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Sri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said, “We are pleased to receive these recognitions. The awards motivate us to strengthen our effort to promote Malaysia as a popular year-round golf destination. This achievement also signifies the result of our National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) initiative under the Entry Point Project 9B (EPP9b), which identified golfing as a focal activity for the future growth of quality tourism. We sincerely hope that more golfers from all over the world will discover the value and experience of golfing in Malaysia.”

"Being named as the Best Asia Golf Destination at World Golf Award is indeed a great accomplishment and a befitting accolade," said Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor, President of the Malaysian Golf Association. "This award is a result of our Government’s ongoing effort to promote Malaysia as the world’s best golfing destination. With a strong commitment from The Government of Malaysia — our local golf industry will continue to grow and flourish. I would like to personally congratulate the Honourable Tourism and Culture Minister and his team for this achievement.”

Meanwhile, the Malaysia Golf Tourism Association (MGTA) President Mr. Ng Eu Shen expressed his pride over the international achievements and felt truly happy over the awards won by local golf industry players as winners are active MGTA members.

He said, “We wouldn’t have been able to achieve this without the continuous support by Tourism Malaysia in promoting Malaysia as a golf destination. These awards are a recognition of Malaysia’s excellent development in the golf industry, its top-notch services and facilities and cooperation from the private sector.”
Malaysia, the land of diverse attractions, is a veritable paradise for golfers offering a choice of over 200 golf courses and that are open all-year long. Last year, golf tourism receipts surpassed RM300 million compared to RM296 million in 2012. The target for this year is to reach RM310 million.
 
World Golf Awards

World Golf Awards serves to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism, world class courses and golf destinations. World Golf Awards is part of World Travel Awards, currently celebrating its 21st anniversary as "the Oscars of the travel industry".

The worldwide voting process for 2014 began on 20 June 2014 and closed on 2 October 2014. Votes were made by professionals working within the golf travel and tourism industry – senior executives, travel buyers, tour operators, agents and media professionals. Votes were also cast by the public (golf tourism consumers). The voting works on a first-past-the-post system to ensure impartiality and independence. Votes were submitted online via the World Golf Awards website.

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 is celebrating 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