MANILA, 4 JULY 2019 - Malaysia is certainly stepping up its promotion this year in preparation for Visit Malaysia 2020 with a target to welcome 30 million tourists from around the world andRM100 billion (USD24 billion) tourist receipts.

Tourism Malaysia’s participation atthe 8thTravel Madness Expo (TME)from4- 7 July 2019 atSMX Convention Center, PasayCity, Metro Manila,will be strengthenedby participation from Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAS) as the Official Airline Partner, Sunway Lagoon Theme Park, Taming Sari and Malacca River Cruise to promote Malaysia as the top of mind holiday destination to theFilipino travellers.

TME2019 is participated by more than 200 industry players domestically and internationally, including National Tourist Offices (NTO), major airlines, hotel chains, cruise lines and reputable travel agencies. The expo has attracted over 50,000 visitors last year.

In 2018, Malaysia recorded some 396,062tourists from the Philippines which was an increase of6.9% compared to 2017. Tourist receipts also increased by 3.3% in 2018, recorded atRM1.115billion (USD265 million) compared to RM1.079billion in 2017. From January to March 2019, Filipino tourists to Malaysia recorded a total of93,774 arrivals,an increase of4.4% compared to the same period in 2018.

Visit Malaysia 2020 will showcase Malaysia’s beautiful and culturally diverse attributes as the preferred holiday destination with many fascinating attractions offering unique experiences. Malaysia Truly Asia welcomes tourists from all over the world to enjoy an affordable and value-for-money holiday in Malaysia.

Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB) is our Official Airline Partner at the TME 2019. MAB currently operates 21 weekly flights from Manila to Kuala Lumpur with seat capacity of 3,360 seats per weekusing Boeing 737-800 aircraft.MAB will be promoting Explore the World packages at TME 2019 for travel from 4July2019 to 30 April 2020 from Manila into16 cities in Malaysia and beyond.

ENDS

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & 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.

For press information, contact:

Muadz Samat
Assistant Director, Corporate Communication Division
muadz@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +603 8891 8755