JEDDAH, 26 February 2020: Tourism Malaysia today launched its pavilion at the Jeddah International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (JTTX10) 2020 in Saudi Arabia, from 26 to 28 February 2020, to promote Malaysia as a preferred tourist destination and magnify publicity of the Visit Malaysia Year VM2020 campaign to the travel industry players in the Middle East.

JTTX is the leading Travel B2B & B2C event in Saudi Arabia that gave exhibitors an unmatched platform to showcase their travel destinations and services, build new partnership and target new high-value customers in a large and promising travel market. Exhibitors from 16 travel sectors across Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries including national tourism organization representing 29 countries participated in this event.

As a prelude to the JTTX10, Tourism Malaysia had successfully participated in a travel trade workshop in Medinah aimed at further strengthening the VM2020 campaign in the Gulf nation.

JTTX10 marks the second time participation for Tourism Malaysia in this event after 2016, where it leads a delegation of Malaysian industry players to participate in the exhibition. Among the Malaysian organisations involved in the exhibition are Sunway Hotels and Resorts, Ritz Carlton Langkawi, Aloft Hotel, Tamu Hotel, Malaysia Airlines, and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA).

During the 3-day event, Malaysia will highlight its stunning natural environment, exciting array of cultural adventures, and global reputation as a safe, family-friendly destination that cater specially for the Middle Eastern market. The aim of the participation is also to promote the diversities of attractions and services in Malaysia, as well as to update the local industry players on the latest developments in Malaysia.

According to head delegation, Dato Dr. Noor Zari Hamat, Secreatary General Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, “We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate and cooperate with some of the best industry players here such as Etihad Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Air Arabia, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Modon Travel, HolidayMe, Orient Travel and Al Rais Travel.”

JTTX10 is also an effective and strategic platform to promote travel packages to the Arabian countries right before their summer holiday, which would begin in May until the end of the pilgrimage month, and to announce that Malaysia is safe to travel, despite the Covid-19 outbreak which has become the major concern in many parts of the world.

The Middle East is seen as a key market for the country, which was recently named the number one destination for Muslim travellers for the ninth consecutive year by Singapore-based CrescentRating, the world's leading authority on Halal Travel. The ranking is based on an annual online survey covering several criteria, including the availability of Halal food, access to prayer facilities and Muslim-friendly services in hotels, and the overall safety and security of each destination.

A total of 121,444 tourists from Saudi Arabia visited Malaysia in 2019 compared to 112,263 tourists in 2018, registering an increase of 8.2%. Saudi Arabian tourists continued to top the average length of stay (ALOS) with 10.8 nights and the average expenditure per capita with RM11,555.40. Malaysia is certainly stepping up its promotion this year for Visit Malaysia 2020, during which the target is to welcome 30 million tourists from around the world and receive RM100 billion in tourist receipts.

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MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2018, Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals and RM84.1 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

Press information:
Mr Muadz Samat
Assistant Director
Corporate Communication Division
Email: muadz@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +603 8891 8755