PUTRAJAYA, 2 November 2016 – Malaysia has once again made headlines by winning the much-coveted World Travel Awards in various categories at the recent World Travel Awards Asia & Australasia Gala Ceremony 2016 in Vietnam.

For the second consecutive year, both Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia itself were awarded Asia's Leading Tourist Board and Asia's Leading Destination respectively during the red carpet event at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort.

The Director General of Tourism Malaysia Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab said that Tourism Malaysia was truly honoured to receive the award for the second time in a row.

“We are also proud that Malaysia is also awarded Asia’s Leading Destination. The awards are a reflection of our dedication towards excellence in the hospitality industry,” he added.

At the same event, AirAsia won both awards in the Asia’s Leading Low-Cost Airline and Asia’s Leading Inflight Service categories. The latter category was AirAsia’s first win, which saw the airline beating a field of full-service carriers.

Other awards won by Malaysia at the prestigious event were Asia’s Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel (One World Hotel) and Asia’s Leading Themed Resort (Resorts World Genting).

World Travel Awards Gala Ceremonies are widely regarded as the best networking opportunities within the travel and tourism industry, attended by government and industry leaders, luminaries, and international print and broadcast media.

ABOUT WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS:

World Travel Awards™ was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the World Travel Awards™ brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire. All regional winners will compete head to head in a final round of voting to decide who will triumph in the World Travel Awards™ world awards – the ultimate accolade in the travel and tourism industry. The winners are announced on the night of the World Travel Awards™ Grand Final at the end of the year.

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 2015, Malaysia registered 25.7 million tourist arrivals and RM69.1 billion in receipts.

Through the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area), 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 and achieve the country’s target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020.

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 Relations Unit:

Mohd Libra Lee Haniff, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8752
Email: mohdlibra@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:

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