Malaysia was honoured to receive three prestigious awards at the world’s largest tourism fair, the International Tourismus-Boerse (ITB), held from 11 to 15 March 2009 in Berlin, Germany.

First, the Malaysia Truly Asia advertising campaign won the gold award in the print advertising category at the Das Goldene Stadttor (The Golden City Gate) international film competition award ceremony on 12 March 2009 at the ITB Cinema.

This year, 94 entries were accepted from all over the world for selection by a 40-member committee consisting of representatives from the marketing, media, film and advertising industries as well as official institutions.

In addition, the Malaysia Pavilion secured the second place in the Best Exhibitor Award in the Asia/Australia/Oceania category at the CBS Best Exhibitor awards. It was organised by the Cologne Business School (CBS), an internationally renowned business school of the European University of Applied Sciences Rhine/Erft, which ranks among the top 10 German universities for business studies.

The winning Malaysia Pavilion, measuring 494 square meters showcased the diversity of Malaysia’s tourism products.  Representatives from six states i.e. Sabah, Sarawak, Penang, Terengganu, Selangor and Langkawi, 30 hotels, 20 tour Operators as well as Malaysia Airlines participated under the “Malaysia”  banner which was coordinated by Tourism Malaysia.

The Orang Ulu longhouse, decorated with colourful images of Malaysian ethnic and exotic flora and fauna, was the design highlight of the pavilion. Visitors were entertained by Teh Tarik presentations and the skills of a tattoo master from one of Sarawak’s ethnic group, namely Orang Ulu or Kayan, during the travel trade fair.   

They also got to sample the Teh Tarik and get free tattoos from 11 – 15 March. Besides that, visitors were also invited to show their skills in ‘pulling’ the tea during the Consumer Days from 14 – 15 March and win a ‘mystery’ gift.         

This year, a total of 11,000 single and group booths on the ITB fairground were evaluated by CBS based on a detailed criteria catalogue. The most important criteria were for its design, information, service, activities and lasting impression.

Last but not least, Malaysia was awarded third place for ‘Most Popular Destinations in Asia’ by Go Asia Awards after Thailand and Indonesia which  ranked first and second respectively.

More than 3,600 visitors of the Go Asia website voted for their favourite choices for the ‘Best Asian Tourist Board in Germany’, ‘Best Tour Operator For Asian Destinations’, ‘Most Popular Destination in Asia’ and ‘Best Asian Hotel/Hotel Group’. All the top three winners of each category received a Crystal Award and a certificate.

Go Asia is a marketing initiative for Asia with members comprising tourism boards, airlines and hotels from Asia, tour operators that offer holiday trips to Asia, as well as travelers to Asia. Founded in 2003, it aims to promote its members with joint fair attendance, media work and workshops in the German-speaking markets.

Issued by: Communications & Publicity Division, Tourism Malaysia
Date: 24 March 2009
For further information, please contact Sharon Wong at +603 26158188
or email sharonwong@tourism.gov.my
Website: www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my