KUALA LUMPUR, 15 OCTOBER 2018 – Tourism Malaysia has announced a Malaysia-Azerbaijan cooperative tourism initiative, marking a strategic bilateral effort to woo more tourists from Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region to Malaysia.

The initiative is between Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA) and Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), who both signed a Partnership Memorandum today at Malaysia Tourism Information Centre (MaTiC), Jalan Ampang, during the Malaysia-Azerbaijan Tourism Networking session.

The two parties were represented by Mr. Nahid Bagirov, Chairman of AZTA and Mr. Akil Yusof Deputy President for MATTA). The event was witnessed by Mr. Zulkafli Yahya, Senior Director of International Promotion Division for America, Europe and Oceania, Tourism Malaysia along with Datuk Nargiz Safarova, Tourism Ambassador for Russia & Central Asia.

The two-year cooperation (2019-2020) will see both parties working with local travel agents to develop special tour packages for both countries. It will also pave the way for discussions to establish possible flight connections.

Mr. Zulkafli Yahya said, “The cooperation between both tourism parties is timely and strategic as Azerbaijan is a growing market with great potential for us to tap into the leisure and high-end market segments. We look forward to seeing flight and tour packages developed for this market as we welcome more Azerbaijanis to Malaysia.”

In 2017, Malaysia recorded a total of 1,035 tourist arrivals from Azerbaijan, an increment of 12.1% in comparison to 2016. The growth trend continued this year with an increase of 18.8% in arrivals in the first four months, bringing the total of Azerbaijani tourist arrivals to Malaysia to 448 between January and April 2018.

The arrival figures, though small, indicate a growing demand for Malaysia by the Azerbaijanis despite the absence of direct flight connections, limited tourism promotions and lack of a Tourism Malaysia representation in the country. Azerbaijan is currently served by Tourism Malaysia offices in Turkey and Moscow. The country’s neighbors include Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey, a region that is gaining more political stability and opening doors for more tourism activities.

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.tourism.gov.my/

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 2017, Malaysia registered 25.9 million tourist arrivals, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

Press contact:

Media Relations Unit:

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

Editorial Unit:

Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my

Photo Caption : Mr. Zulkafli Yahya, Senior Director of International Promotion Division for America, Europe and Oceania, Tourism Malaysia along with Datuk Nargiz Safarova, Tourism Ambassador for Russia & Central Asia and Ms Sevda Farajova, Chancelor of Azerbaijan Embassy in Malaysia witnessed the Partnership Memorandum Signing between Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA) and Malaysia Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) represented by Mr. Nahid Bagirov, Chairman of AZTA and Mr. Akil Yusof Deputy President for MATTA.